A Ship of Agendas
by Lord22
Summary: Beka Valentine knew something was up when she took a job to retrieve an ancient starship from the depths of a Black Hole. But she never anticipated just how far things would spiral out of control. With dozens of agendas vying for control of Andromeda the only question is if Beka and her crew will get out alive. And also if they'll make a profit. Alternate Universe.
1. A New Job

**Chapter One: A New Job**

Beka Valentine got back to the Eureka Maru late that night. Rev was asleep, and Trance was still gone. So she made her way through the drab brown halls with slumped shoulders. Another week, another job done.

She just hoped the money lasted this time. The last thing she needed was another repair job on the Maru. It seemed like pirates were getting worse these days.

Still, before she could sleep, she had paperwork to do. Forms to fill out. The less glamorous aspect of smuggling stood before her as she sat down.

"You have a reputation as a first-rate scavenger, Beka Valentine." said an unfamiliar voice.

Beka froze, then snatched up her gun. She Pointed it upwards and saw someone in the shadows. He emerged to reveal a dark-skinned, muscular man with black dreadlocks. He wore a white vest and was holding a rifle. It was pointed at her.

"Who the hell are you?" asked Beka. "Talk quickly, I don't like stowaways."

"My name is Tyr Anasazi." said Tyr. "I'm here to make you the most lucrative offer you'll ever find."

"You could have sent something in the mail," said Beka.

He kept walking forward. She pulled the trigger, meaning to fire a warning shot. But the gun clicked. Tyr set the power pack of her pistol down on the desk. How had he...

Had he slipped that out of her gun as she passed?

"My client wants you to know who you are dealing with before you do anything foolish." said Tyr. "We're going to be handling something that is very valuable and very dangerous. We'd like your help."

Beka was going to play along here. Otherwi,so her neck might end up snapped. "What's the pay?"

"Ten percent of all profit margins," said Tyr.

Never show fear. She stood up. "Cute. I want more than that."

"My client is willing to negotiate." said Tyr.

"I don't mean the price. I want details." said Beka. " I don't run drugs. What am I transporting?"

"Weapons. The most powerful weapons in the universe." said Tyr, raising a data card. "Be at these coordinates tomorrow, and the situation will be made clear. Do this job and you can retire to a tropical island somewhere. Or eat yourself to death or whatever it is you inferior specimens do."

Inferior specimens? Then Beka noticed something on his wrist. Bone blades. He was a Nietzschean. She took the card and looked down quickly. Don't show weakness. Never show weakness.

She looked up. "I'm still negotiating over the-" But Tyr was gone. He has disappeared from the bridge. "Price?"

Beka slammed a fist against her desk and slipped the power back into her pistol.

At that moment Rev emerged. The priest had put on his red robes and his hair face looked concerned. "Is something the matter, Beka?"

"Yeah something is the matter." said Beka. "Some Nietzscheanbroke into this ship stole my guns power pack, and offered me a job."

"Strange that I did not notice." said Rev. "The divine plays strange tricks upon all of us. Yet if we seek the truth they are always to our benefit."

"Thanks, Rev. That doesn't help at all." said Beka. "He says he is transporting weapons. Really powerful stuff. But why the hell would he want the Maru for that? We can't move tanks.

"This ship was a tugship before my dad retrofitted it for moving cargo."

"Perhaps he means to move a ship." mused Rev.

"I thought about that. But why a smuggler?" asked Beka. "You can't slip ships past customs. He could just hire some day laborers. They'd be easier to intimidate and cost less."

"Perhaps it is something the is wholly unique to that Maru?" mused Rev.

"Maybe." admitted Beka. "We do have some of the most powerful engines you'll ever find on anything less than a capital ship. And we're a lot faster than anything else designed for moving ships.

"That's gotta be it.

"Tugships are meant for getting compromised vessels out of danger and moving wrecks. They're designed to pull ships more than twice their size. Nobody bothers upgrading their speed. My dad was nuts to do that.

"So maybe he wants us to pull something very hard to move, very quickly."

"It does seem the logical conclusion." said Rev. "The Maru is wholly unique thanks to its somewhat impractical design."

Beka looked up. "Watch it, Magog man, this beauty if my family's pride and joy.:

"Many things which are impractical are nevertheless important." said Rev. "Efficiency is not the only virtue in this wide and varied universe."

"Don't you ever stop?" asked Beka.

"It is often good to halt and reflect upon the nature of oneself." said Rev. "An unexamined life yields little fruit."

Beka laughed despite herself. "Shut up. I'm going to this meeting tomorrow to see what they want.

"I just hope Trance gets back soon. Clients don't like being kept waiting."

* * *

The meeting spot wasn't exactly what you would call luxurious. It was a warehouse. When Beka knocked on the door, she thought for a moment that the whole building was going to fall in. The windows certainly rattled a lot. Then it opened, and Tyr looked out.

"Well I'm here." said Beka.

"Beka Valentine." said Tyr. "I'm glad you could make it. Come this way. The meeting is about to begin."

Beka followed him through a hall and into a wide open room. Within it there were a large amount of rough and ready people. All of them were armed, and some had burns and scars except for one person, a skinny guy who looked like he hadn't eaten enough as a kid. He was leaning up against his seat and trying to put the moves on a beautiful blonde mercenary.

He was failing.

"Who are all these?" she asked.

"Security." said Tyr. "He thinks his partners might attempt to cheat him."

"Well that is the usual risk." mused Beka. "Where is this mysterious employer? And what's his name?"

"Gerentex." said Tyr.

They sat down. Then into the room came a nightsider. The brown-skinned animal man came forward, clad in black leather. "Welcome all of you. I am Gerentex."

"I'd like to thank you all for coming." said Gerentex. "What we're planning is perhaps the most lucrative trade of my entire career." He pressed a button, and a hologram sprang to life before them of one of the Old Commonwealth's ships. "I give you the Andromeda Ascendant.""

"Andromeda?" asked Beka. "You mean that legendary Commonwealth Ship that was lost in a black hole?"

Geretex scoffed. "I would hardly call it legendary. Though the story of Dylan Hunt is the subject of one or two brainless bedtime stories.

"Seamus, elaborate." There was a pause. "Seamus!"

The scrawny guy sat up and ran up to the front quickly. He straightened out his white shirt like he was wearing a blazer and waved. "Hello everybody, great to be here. I'm Seamus Harper, professional genius and the most eligible bachelor of the universe. Nice to meet you, I sign autographs."

"Get to the point." said Geretex.

"All right, all right, already." said Harper, taking out a control. "The point, ladies and gentlemen. Is this." He pressed a button. A hologram changed to that of a black circle of void surrounded by clouds of orange and yellow. "A black hole near the edge of the Hephaistos system. Nice weather there, by the way. Usually cloudy with a chance of meteor showers.

"Like Gerentex said, it's the place Captain Dylan Hunt died in the back during the Old Commonwealth."

"So what?" asked Beka. "Nothing that goes into a black hole survives. The Andromeda should be less than dust by now."

"True enough, lovely lady." said Seamus. "Even the most advanced starship brought in would be crushed tinier than a pebble. But, and here's the big but, as you get closer to a black hole time slows down. And it only gets slower as you go. Singularities are fun like that.

"Which means that the Andromeda wasn't sucked into the Black Hole. She is still being sucked into it and has been for three hundred and three years. Kinky I know."

"What does it matter?" asked Beka. "Even if this ship is still there, if we tried to get it out we'd get stuck too."

"Oh really? Well roll out the red carpet for Ms. Science." said Harper. "Seriously, stop living in the twentieth century. I mean, I am a fan of the twentieth century, don't get me wrong. And it's true that the scientists back then thought nothing could get out of a black hole. But then again those brilliant ancient scientists never met Seamus Harper.

"Getting something out of a black hole isn't impossible. It's just really, really, difficult for the average person.

"So with my direction, this will be the easiest job you've ever pulled."

"Sure it will. " said Beka. "Okay, so let's say we get this ship out. It's top of the line. Who are we selling it to?"

"That remains my concern." said Geretex. "Not yours. Follow my orders and we'll all be richer than god at the end of this. Pay not attention to the secret machinations of scary people."

"Why do you need us?" asked the mercenary Harper had been hitting on.

Geretex looked up, annoyed. "Hasn't it occurred to you that transporting one of the most powerful ships in the universe has risks? I need you as muscle, to make sure that nothing gets out of hand. You'll be taking orders from my associate, Tyr Anasazi."

"You want us to work for a Nietzschean?" asked the mercenary.

"If you want to get paid, yes." said Geretex. "We're all professionals here. Aren't we?"

"...Yes, yes we are." said the woman.

There were murmurs of agreement. Beka did not join them. Geretex looked to Beka with narrowed eyes. "And what about you?"

Beka judged her chances. "I want fifteen percent."

"Ten percent or I find someone else who will work for ten." said Geretex.

"Fifteen percent or you find someone who doesn't exist with a class of ship that hasn't been made." said Beka. "The Eureka Maru is one of a kind. That's why you picked me."

Geretex clasped his fingers and met her gaze head-on. Beka met his carefully. Finally, Geretex shrugged. "…Fifteen percent it is, my dear. Do we have a deal?"

He offered a hand. Beka stood up and took it. "Yes, we do. I just need to wait for one of my crew to get back from a personal mission."

"Surely you could find another on short notice." noted Geretex.

"No. I can't." said Beka. "Trance has abilities you can't find just anywhere. She could save all our butts if things get dicey."

"...I suppose we could afford a minor delay for higher quality." said Geretex.

"Glad to hear it." said Beka.

"Now," said Geretex, "there is a table of refreshments over there. I hired catering."

The catering was actually pretty good. Though Beka waited until after everyone else had eaten before taking any of it. She noticed that Tyr did not eat any of it, he instead leaned against the wall in the corner, examining the room. The blonde woman from before eyed him warily as well.

Beka finally had had enough. She approached Tyr. "So, how does a Nietzschean end up working for a Nightsider?"

"Much like yourself, I provide an essential service." said Tyr. "Only where you move cargo, I move people to the morgue."

"Right, I guessed that much." said Beka. "What are you being paid?"

"A great deal." said Tyr.

"Hoping to save up for a beach house somewhere?" asked Beka.

"I'd much rather arrange for all my enemies to disappear mysteriously." said Tyr. "Preferably without it being traced back to me."

"How's that working out for you?" asked Beka.

"Quite well so far." said Tyr.

Beka blinked. Then she shrugged and looked up. The blonde woman had left the party. "You Nietzscheans are always are looking out for yourselves, aren't you?"

"We always do what is best for us, if that's what you mean." said Tyr.

Tyr was definitely nice to look at. It was a shame he wasn't much for personality.

When Beka got back she was still thinking. Something about the mission didn't rub her the right way at all. Something had been going on beneath the surface there, and she didn't know what it was.

It probably didn't matter.

Probably.

She found Trance in the main room, a place which doubled as storage and a living room. The violet skinned alien girl was playing holochess against herself. Somehow she seemed to be losing.

Trance glanced up. "Beka."

"Trance?" asked Beka. "You're back. How did it go?"

"I managed to deliver the data you asked me to." said Trance. "It got a bit awkward though. Rev says you had a meeting."

"We've got ourselves a new contract." said Beka. "We're going to get the Andromeda out of the black hole it fell into. This one is going to be really lucrative. It's a good thing you took so long or they'd have missed us."

"Great." said Trance. "Any idea what I should wear?"

Beka blinked. "Wear? What you usually do. We're not going to a ballroom blitz."

"But if a ship got trapped in a black hole singularity and survived the crew might also have survived." said Trance. "We might be meeting people from the far, far, past. I don't want to make a bad first impression."

Why hadn't Beka thought of that? Trance was always thinking about these things. She thought about it. "Relax. Every story I've read says the crew all evacuated long before they reached the planet. Captain Hunt became a martyr who lengthened the war a lot.

"Besides, I think we've got bigger problems."

"What kind?" asked Trance.

"Gerentex, our employer, won't tell us who we're selling to." said Beka. "And there is this guy, Tyr Anasazi. He's being put in charge of the guard detail even though none of the mercenaries like him.

"I think there is something going on."

"He's selling to the Drago-Kasov Pride." said Trance. "I think."

Beka did a double take. There was no way Trance could know that from what she'd been told. Except whenever Trance made a prediction she was always right. Always. "Trance, what makes you say that?"

Trance shifted nervously. "Well um, isn't it obvious?"

"Not really." admitted Beka.

"Well if Gerentex is selling to anyone it would have to be someone with a lot of money." said Trance. "The Drago-Kasov Pride is the richest of the group. And if they were hiring Gerentex to get the ship, they'd want someone on the sight to make sure he didn't backstab them.

"Plus the Andromeda went into the black hole near the Hephaistos system. That is under Drago-Kasov control. They'd definitely notice if someone got the Andromeda out. So it would make sense for Gerentex to have them as a client.

"Even if he wanted to backstab them, he'd want to do the operation without getting blown out of the sky."

Once again there was a perfectly logical basis for her apparent prophetic abilities. There was always one of those. It rubbed Beka the wrong way. "…Thanks for reminding me for why I never leave port without you."

"I thought it was because of my sunny personality." said Trance.

"Where is Rev anyway?" asked Beka.

"Meditating." said Trance. "We'd better not disturb him."

"Fine." said Beka. "Just finish up anything you need to do on this rock quick. Tomorrow we're going back into space."

Why did Beka think this mission would be more than she bargained for.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

So a few months ago I watched through Andromeda. And I gotta say, I really loved the first season. The second season was pretty good at first. But little by little the entire storyline got derailed in favor of making it into the Dylan Hunt show. The last straw was the third episode of Season 3. It was filler episode which was so utterly terrible that it destroyed any interest I had.

What annoys me is that the myth arc was really interesting and many of the characters were great. If they hadn't fired all the good writers the show could be right up there with Stargate SG 1. You don't get five seasons unless you are doing something right.

Anyway, I tried to write all the characters like they were in the show. You be the judge of if I succeeded.

Enjoy and please review.


	2. Schemes and Counterschemes

**Chapter Two: Schemes and Counterschemes**

The halls of the Eureka Maru were a bit cramped now, with dozens of mercenaries filling the halls. Beka didn't like it any better than she had before. In fact, she liked it less. "Welcome aboard the Eureka Maru boys; I hope you don't mind cold sleep. Because I don't have a bed for everyone."

"Just so long as we get the job done, it doesn't matter." said Geretex.

"Does that mean you'll be sleeping in cold storage?" asked Beka.

"Of course not my dear. I am the Commander of this Expedition." said Geretex. "It is only natural that I, and all the other critical members of the crew should be awake for the whole expedition."

"Just remember that I'm the Captain of this Ship." said Beka.

"But of course." said Geretex.

And then Harper walked in. "Hey lovely ladies, Seamus Harper is on board. Please, save the champagne and confetti for later. I don't ask much."

"That's probably a good thing." noted Beka.

"Hey, uh, where's the other blonde?" asked Harper. "The one from before?"

Beka looked around to answer his question. And she realized that she was nowhere to be seen. She looked to Geretex. "I think we're short one."

"She decided she did not like being in my employ." said Geretex. "Naturally I couldn't have anyone reporting our mission. That could cause complications. So I had Mr. Anasazi compel her silence."

"You killed her." said Beka.

Harper flinched.

"If we must be blunt, yes."

"What the hell Geretex!" said Beka. "I didn't sign on to-"

"You signed on to take my orders!" snapped Geretex. "If she left such a lucrative mission it was to tell someone else about it! We'd have vultures flying above to pick our corpses clean before we even got the ship out!

"I've put too much work into this to let it fall apart now!"

Beka fell silent. She knew she was pickier than a lot of other people. Glancing to Harper, she noticed he looked pissed off. But there were too many zeroes at the end of this to refuse. "…Fine, okay."

"You're Seamus Harper right?" said Trance, coming forward.

"Well, I guess you've heard of me." said Harper, slicking back his hair and trying to look confident. He was trying to hide his anger.

"Yes. Beka said you were a loudmouth." said Trance.

"Eh, they all say that about me, to begin with." said Harper.

"Would you like to see my plants?" asked Trance.

Harper raised an eyebrow. "Plants?"

Beka decided she'd better intervene before he thought Trance was propositioning him. "Trance grows a lot of plants in the infirmary."

"…Sure, why not." said Harper.

Beka

At that moment Rev came back. "Beka, I have finished preparing the engines and-"

And then a gun was raised, and Harper was stepping back. A dozen other guns were raised as well. "Whoa, whoa, what is this Magog doing here?"

"I might ask the same question." said Geretex.

"You need not fear me." said Rev. "I am a priest of the divine. A Wayist. I have vowed never to kill."

"Sure you have." said Harper. "And maybe your species doesn't reproduce by rape and have their babies tear their way out of people's stomachs.

"Maybe a lot of things.

"What I know is that I'm not okay with having one of those things on the same ship as me."

"Then you can all leave." snapped Beka. "Rev is part of my crew and if you've got a problem with it, too bad."

"All of you be calm down." said Geretex. "I've got too much money on the line to let a stupid thing like racism ruin things. Now, where is Tyr?"

And then Tyr appeared from the shadows. "I've checked the cold storage facilities. They aren't trapped, and they are in perfect condition."

"Good." said Geretex.

"What?" said Beka. "But it was under lockdown."

"It was." said Geretex. "Now get the ship in the air."

Beka would have flared up. She was pissed. But she was smart enough to know now wasn't the time. So she just arranged for all of the mercenaries to be put in cold storage and went to pilot the ship out.

* * *

While Trance showed Harper her plans, Rev entered the bridge. Beka looked up from her controls as he came to stand beside her. She didn't say anything for a minute. So he spoke instead. "We seem to have brought a serpent into our home, Beka."

"Yeah, I noticed." said Beka.

"However the serpent stands for more than evil." said Rev. "It was a snake that tempted Eve into taking the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge. But it is also a snake that is the symbol of healing."

"Rev, do you have a point?" asked Beka, not in the mood.

"All things may be turned to good or ill." said Rev. "I fear this mission we are launching has been done with ill intentions. Yet it may be possible to set it right."

"Rev, I'm not interested in right or wrong. Just making a profit." said Beka.

"You know that to be untrue. Right and wrong are not subjective." said Rev. "There is good, and there is evil. Both are very real forces that manifest in a thousand faces.

"Sooner or later, one must choose between them."

"You know, that's what I don't get about you, Rev." said Beka. "You're a priest of the divine. So why did you decide to travel here on a smugglers ship?

"It doesn't seem like your thing.'

"One must seek new experiences or else you will cease to learn." said Rev.

"Well, I guess that's one answer." said Beka.

Rev sighed. "In truth, I was ill content to remain in hallowed halls, meditating and praying. The brethren are well-intentioned. But they have become a bit conservative in these dark times."

"Dark times?" asked Beka. There hadn't been any notable crisis lately. No nearby worlds had been destroyed.

"The Long Night." said Rev.

Oh right, dark times in a general sense. "Right, that whole new age thing. How does it go?"

"Roughly speaking there is the Gathering Dawn. That is when the races advanced and created new civilizations. It concludes with the Vedrans creating their empire." said Rev. "There is the Bright Noon when the Commonwealth was united and the universe prosperous. Then the Failing Twilight, when the Commonwealth began to fracture. And at last the Long Night. That begins with the Nietzschean Victory over the last Commonwealth Fleet.

"It is marked the beginning of the Second Magog Invasion. Supposedly it will end with the New Dawn. A time when a new civilization shall be created that will be even greater than the last."

"Must be tough, having your race get all the blame for the Long Night." said Beka.

"We were but one symptom of an underlying cause." said Rev. "Spiritual decay is the root of all weakness, and there was much of that during the Failing Twilight."

"Hey, something has always bothered me." said Beka, staring out into the starry expanse. "All the histories talk about how nobody could stop the Magog. I mean the Nietzscheans protected some worlds. But they couldn't have defended them all. Not with the way they fractured.

"Shouldn't there have been a lot more damage. I mean I've never heard of a world that was completely wiped out by the Magog."

"It is one of our few principles that we should never drive any race to extinction." said Rev. "Nor reduce the population of a world below sustainable levels. All Magog hold to this rule. Some because they wish to feed again. Others out of ideology."

"No offense, but that doesn't seem like a very good ideology." said Beka.

"Magog do not see people as individuals, for the most part." said Rev. "It took me years to see my Wayist brethren for who they were, and not merely an extension of the order. The death of one, for us, is merely the death of one aspect of a greater whole."

"So you're a hive mind." guessed Beka.

"Not precisely." said Rev. "We are individuals. But our nature makes it difficult for us to realize the fact.

He glanced up. "What about you, Tyr Anasazi? What musings on your own race go through your head?"

How did he keep doing that?!

"Nothing I intend to tell you." said the Nietzschean.

Then he was gone. Beka removed her hand from where it had been on her gun. "I can't read that guy."

"He radiates death." said Rev.

"Hmm?" said Beka.

"The Nietzschean is one who has seen much death." said Rev. "And caused it. I fear he intends to cause far more."

* * *

Harper hadn't signed on for this. Not the mission, hell he'd practically planned it. He'd designed all the equipment after all. But he hadn't signed on for who he'd been doing it with.

Geretex had to have known there was a Magog on board.

"Goddamn Magog." he muttered as he put machinery together. "Can't even do a smuggling job without having them crawling down your skin."

"What are you doing?" asked someone.

"Setting up an early warning system." said Harper, not looking up. "If that damn Magog comes within ten meters of my pen it'll set off an alarm that'll wake the dead." He looked up and saw the Nietzschean. "Oh, it's you. What do you want?"

"Do you know who Geretex is selling to?" asked Tyr.

"Doesn't really matter to me." said Harper. 'What matters is that I've got a member of an entire race of sociopaths and a damn Magog on the same ship."

"You don't need to worry." said Tyr with a smile. "If I wanted you dead you would be dead. And no one would even know it was me who had done it."

"Yeah, that's real comforting." said Harper. "What the hell do you want? You Nietzscheans always have some kind of angle?

"The notes on your background said you were from Earth." said Tyr.

"Yeah." said Harper. "One hundred percent earthling born and raised. In my hometown, you had to choose between being a slave to the Nietzscheans or chow for the Magog." He turned back to working on his alarm. "Spent a few years in the resistance. Geretex was one of our suppliers. He noticed my skills with tech and brought me on board.

"What's it to you?"

"Geretex is going to sell the Andromeda to the Drago-Kazov Pride." said Tyr.

Harper froze and looked up with a start. "What?"

"Surely you don't think your employer above selling to the other side, do you?" asked Tyr.

"No, not really." said Harper. "Not Geretex. But why would you tell me this? Your part of the same little Nietzschean club-" And then Tyr laughed uproariously. "What's so funny?"

"You don't really understand us, do you?" asked Tyr. "We Nietzscheans battle each other more than our enemies. The Drago-Kazov's are my enemies. And I don't intend to let the Andromeda fall into their hands."

"Well you've got a funny way of stopping them." said Harper.

"Geretex thinks he approached me." said Tyr. "In reality I allowed myself to be in the right place and the right time. My underworld contacts recommended me to him."

"So this is an inside job." guessed Harper. "Just why are you approaching me? Want me to join up with you, side with one Nietzschean against another?"

Tyr kneeled by him. "The enemy of my enemy is my friend, as they say.

"What do you think the Drago-Kazov's are going to do once they get their hands on the Andromeda? The ship has some of the most powerful weapons to ever be built. It can destroy entire suns."

"They'll conquer everything." guessed Harper.

"No." said Tyr. "First they'll crush all of the resistance groups that are left. Then they'll conquer everything."

Harper looked at him. "You're lying."

"Am I? You said yourself that Geretex would be willing to sell to the Nietzscheans." said Tyr. "Isn't the black hole we're going to near Drago-Kazov territory? How do you think Geretex will get the Andromeda out to sell to another buyer?"

"I could figure something out." said Harper. He probably could at that. But Geretex preferred simple solutions.

Tyr stood. "Whether you could or not, as soon as we get the Andromeda out there will be a Drago Kazov fleet waiting for us."

"Oh look who knows so much." said Harper, standing up. "Geretex had me set up fields to hide the ship."

"Unfortunately for you, a cloaking shield is of no use if the enemy knows where you are going and when." said Tyr. "And now they do."

Harper thought about what he was saying. "…You didn't kill the spy, did you?"

"She was Drago Kazov." said Tyr. "Sent here by Admiral Cuchulain to observe the situation. By now she will have reported exactly what we are doing and when."

Well, that was a relief. She'd been nice and nicer looking. Oh wait, she was evil. Shit. "Give me one good reason not to tell Geretex what you just pulled, asshole."

"Would it help?" asked Tyr. "If Geretex is selling to the Drago Kazov's he will do nothing about it. They will still get their prize. And any hope you might have for stopping him will be gone."

"And what if he isn't?" asked Harper.

"It will be your word against mine." said Tyr.

"Yeah, sure. He'll believe the evil, scary black man over the wisecracking goodhearted sidekick." said Harper.

"If Geretex decides to have me removed I will remove him." said Tyr with a shrug. "And everyone who supports him."

It was the matter of fact way he said it that scared Harper. Tyr Anasasazi genuinely believed he could wipe out everyone on ship ship. And maybe he could. All the mercenaries were in cold storage. The crew were scattered. And Tyr had an ability to sneak up on people.

Harper was alone with him. If he did decide to go to Geretex he'd never make it out of this room alive. He suddenly felt very afraid. He tried not to show it. "…There are a dozen mercenaries here, and the crew."

"I've had worse odds." said Tyr.

"What the hell do you want, tough guy?" asked Harper.

"Simple." said Tyr. "I'm going to destroy the Drago Kazov Fleet with the Andromeda. And I want you to help me do it."

Harper forced himself to calm down. He needed more info. Why did Tyr even want this? "What do you have against the Drago-Kazov's anyway?" he asked. "They kill your puppy?"

"They butchered my entire clan." said Tyr. "I am Kodiak Pride. The last. And I will see them destroyed in return."

"Okay, so let's say we blow up the Drago Kazov Fleet." said Harper. "What then?"

"Then Geretex will have no choice but to sell the ship to someone else." said Anasazi with a shrug. "My only interest is in the destruction of my enemies. It doesn't matter to me if my allies make a profit on the side." He offered him a hand.

Well that didn't leave him many options, did it? Harper sure as hell wasn't going to weep for the Drago-Kazov's. He took the hand. "…Okay, we'll play your game."

Tyr smiled. It wasn't a pleasant smile. "I'm glad to hear it, Master Harper."

* * *

Supreme Commander Cuchulain leaned back in his chair, hands clasped together. It had been a quiet few years as he built his ships. The preparations for the conquest of the Than were well underway. Since his initial victories some years ago he had been busy. Busy gathering additional forces.

He had built a fleet larger than anything the Drago Kazov's had seen before. Now he just needed a flagship.

He could have picked a normal one. But why settle for normal when he could have the best?

An ensign looked up. "Supreme Commander Cuchulain. The informant is on the line to speak with you. She says it's urgent."

"Put her on." said Cuchulain.

A blonde woman appeared on the screen. Lesser commanders would have sneered at her for being sterile. Made a few derogatory remarks. But Cuchulain was not a fool. So he smiled warmly. "Ah, Parvati, here you are. I'm guessing from your presence here that something went wrong."

"Yes sir." said Parvati. "Tyr Anasazi is working for Geretex."

That was bad news. But Cuchulain kept his demeanor. He smiled boyishly. "The Last Kodiak? Well, that could make for a problem or two. Take a scoutship and set out after the Maru. Keep just beyond range.

"I'll follow with the main fleet. Keep us updating on what is happening."

"Yes sir." said Parvati.

The screen winked out.

"Sir," said an ensign, "shouldn't we take the fleet straight to the rendezvous point."

"No. If we do that it might spook Geretex. You can't cloak an entire fleet. Well you can, but something always goes wrong." said Cuchulain. "We'll gather in the Hephaistos system. That should be close enough to involve ourselves on a moments notice."

"Yes sir." said the ensign. "Are you sure we can trust that-"

"Please," laughed Cuchulain, "no slurs on the bridge. Besides, just because she is sterile doesn't mean she can't be of service to us. Treat someone who is regularly mistreated with respect, and they tend to be loyal.

"Or have you forgotten what happened to my predecessor?"

"…No sir, I haven't." admitted the ensign.

"Right, you're new." said Cuchulain. "Well, the former Supreme Commander had a penchant for sterile lovers. His way of showing dominance. He was not what one could call a pleasant boyfriend though.

"I provided a shoulder for one of his conquests to cry on. I gave him a few morale-boosting remarks and convinced them to take their destiny into their own hands."

"You convinced them to murder him." said the ensign.

"Well actually I thought I was talking them into becoming a Wayist." said Cuchulain. "But murdering my superior and paving the way to my promotion worked too. I was so grateful I gave him a five-day head start before I tried to avenge the Supreme Commander."

"Did it help?" asked the ensign.

Cuchulain smiled. "Not at all."

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

And enter Cuchulain. I feel that Cuchulain was badly wasted in the original series. The Drago-Kazov's are basically the secondary villains and Tyr's personal nemesis. So they really did need someone to act as a face for the Pride. Cuchulain had an impressive showing in his first episode, only to be made into a cartoon villain in his second appearance and killed offscreen in a later season.

Also for a one-shot villain who existed only to humanize the Drago-Kazov's Parvati left a definite impression on me. So I figured I'd give her a more prominent role. Now we'll find out if either Cuchulain or Parvati do any better than they did in canon.


	3. An Era of Stagnation

**Chapter Three: An Era of Stagnation**

It was a little more than three hundred years before Beka Valentine received Tyr's offer. Dylan Hunt and Gaheris Rhade were playing chess in the Captain's quarters. Tall and broad-shouldered with shoulder length brown hair, Dylan had never beat Rhade. At chess, or any other game of strategy. But he meant to do it today.

Of course, their game had taken on more dimensions of late. A few months ago Dylan realized Rhade had been cheating by hiding pieces. This never would have happened in the chess of Old Earth. The added complexity of a three-dimensional board made all the difference.

Rhade was thinner and less muscular than Dylan and never showed his true thoughts. Dylan suspected the man had done it more out of principle than actual skill. So Dylan had turned on the news today. Rhade hated the news, but he hated even more admitting weakness.

So he made his moves in a distracted fashion. Dylan was doing far better today.

"In other news the debate for Magog citizenship is ongoing." said a reporter. "The Commonwealth has long held that no race is inherently evil. However, a vocal minority of Nietzscheans, disagree. They argue that their biology makes it impossible to be a part of civilized society."

That broke Rhade. He took the remote and muted the TV. "A vocal minority indeed. Ten years ago the Magog were ravaging entire worlds. They implanted their eggs in children. Depopulated entire cities. Now we've made peace with them."

"Rhade, we crushed them." said Dylan. "The Commonwealth only lost a few worlds, and our fleets ravaged Magog space."

"A few?" asked Rhade. "You call a hundred and thirteen a few?"

Dylan realized he'd put his foot in his mouth again. "I… Rhade, you know what I mean. Look, I don't like it any more than you. But the bottom line is that there are three galaxies we have inhabited. More worlds are colonized every day. And even though we try, sometimes worlds get destroyed."

"I wasn't attempting to argue that it was a significant number from an overall perspective." said Rhade. "It is a perfectly rational calculation. Most of the worlds that fell were nietzschean. Nietscheans are regarded as sources of potential dissent due to our very nature.

"I would have made the same decision."

And Dylan had been taken off-guard again. "So what's your problem?"

"The problem is that I am a Nietzschean." said Rhade. "My race believes in survival of the fittest. The triumph of the superior over the inferior. The Commonwealth has wholly rejected this ideal. We are known as noble savages at best.

"For a society who claims to champion the weak against the strong to make so calculated a decision reeks of hypocrisy."

Dylan raised an eyebrow. "And what would you do?"

"I would use the Magog as a means to justify taking additional emergency powers." said Rhade. "I would deliberately prolong the conflict and avoid a killing blow. It is useful to be loved. It is better to be feared. It is best to be necessary."

"As opposed to the Commonwealth crushing the Magog Fleets and trying to reform them." mused Dylan.

Rhade blinked. It was a major expression for a man who rarely emoted. "Reform? As we reformed Moebius?"

And the conversation turned back to Moebius. Rhade never got off that subject for long. "That was a mistake Rhade. The mission didn't go according to plan."

"What was our mission, Dylan?" asked Rhade.

Dylan knew Rhade better than to think he'd forgotten. He wanted Dylan to state it to make a point. Whatever that point was. "Ferris was terrorizing his people. We were supposed to bring him in. He was performing all kinds of human rights violations. And he was a threat to the surrounding sector.

"Human rights? Aren't those merely part of your ideology. Perhaps the people of Moebius believed differently. No dictator can survive unless he has the support of at least part of the population.

"One might ask what right the Vedrans have to go around kicking in the doors of developing nations. And telling the rulers the people have chosen what to do."

"Ferris was a totalitarian monster." said Dylan. "Everyone was under constant watch. People were murdered if they were even suspected of dissent. Free speech was nonexistent."

"But the people still put him in power." noted Rhade. "And then failed to mobilize and rein him in him. Had they thrown off the yolk of his tyranny themselves it would be a proud moment in their history. Something that would inspire works of art, legends, and forward progress.

"Instead we marched into their planet and shot their leader dead. Then we put an architect in charge of the government. And a few million troops on the ground to discourage dissent. The fall of Ferris will be remembered as a humiliation. A time where the Commonwealth had to march in and fix Moebius' problems for it."

"Maybe," said Dylan. He'd be lying if he said he didn't have some regrets. "but it could have been decades before we had a functioning democracy."

"Is there a functioning democracy there now, Dylan?" asked Rhade.

Ouch. "We've had one or two problems." Dylan moved a piece to try and goad Rhade on.

"It has been four years since our successful mission, Dylan." said Rhade. "Four years since freedom was brought to Moebius at the point of a gun. In that time not one Commonwealth Division has been withdrawn from the surface.

"Far from it, our presence has only increased. A nonstop guerilla war wages across the surface. If we were to pull out tomorrow, the planet would fall into absolute anarchy."

"Prime Minister Cameron is well-intentioned and competent,." said Dylan.

"True." admitted Rhade. "For an architec,t he demonstrates a moderate degree of skill. But the reality of the situation is that removing Ferris only made us the primary target. We've spent tens of billions propping up a government which would have fallen long ago without us.

"And which one of our objectives have we achieved?"

Dylan considered his answer. "There were free elections last year."

"They were rigged." said Rhade. He went on the offense.

"You don't know that." said Dylan.

"What if a candidate came to power who is anti commonwealth?" asked Rhade. "Would it be responsible to allow him to spread his rhetoric and inflame the situation?"

"No." said Dylan, making a defensive move.

"Would you prefer it if the Commonwealth murdered every official who had an opinion we don't like?" asked Rhade.

"Of course not." said Dylan.

"Then that leaves only one option." said Rhade. He moved a piece. "Election fraud is clearly the lesser of two evils. The Commonwealth chose it. And they were wise to have that stance.

"Unfortunately this only served the minority groups feel persecuted. In Thus they engender strife and dislike of the Commonwealth.

"But even if we were to establish free elections. Even if all the candidates were favorable to the Commonwealth, we would still fail. Moebius has many different races and ethnic groups, all with their own agenda. Giving everyone an equal vote only served to make the most numerous factions have all the power.

"Moebius is a planet untroubled by the inhibitions which Commonwealth citizens have. In their minds, grabbing a gun and shooting your enemy is a perfectly rational response if you can get away with it. An attitude I can respect, even if I do not find it desirable."

Dylan decided to cut to the chase as he made another move. He set a trap for Rhade and hoped he'd fall into it. "Alright, where are you going with this Rhade? You've been talking a lot about the flaws in the Commonwealth for weeks. Look, we've made a lot of mistakes, but we're still the greatest civilization in history."

"And we are decaying." said Rhade. He took the bait. "The ultimate reason our operations on Moebius were a failure is simple. There was no way we could achieve victory. Our objectives were thus: "Establish a functioning democracy in Moebius."

"Yet we had no true plan for doing so. No fail-safes in place to deal with a less than optimal outcome. Our leader is a buffoon who dispanded the military of Moebius. He gave the dissent factions all the trained killers they'd ever need.

"Any moderately intelligent sentient could have realized it to be a bad idea. Yet our glorious government did not.

"Our response to a monstrous race ravaging our subjects is to let them off with a stern warning. What lesson has that imparted upon our future enemies? They now know they have nothing to lose by opposing us.

"And what have they to gain?

"Inferior ideologies have begun to supplant those whose worth has been proven. The endless news media runs 24/7 blaring nonsense into the ears of our overweight populace. We have done away with all the drafts. Thus only the bravest and best of our society go into war.

"The best of each generation is weeded out of the gene pool. Braindead sycophants worth less than the dirt it would take to bury lead us. Propagating irrational ideals designed to appeal to ignorant masses.

"Let me ask you something, Dylan. When did the 'greatest civilization in history' reinvent itself. From bold pioneers to a society of fat, cowardly, gossipmongers. Degenerates whose greatest fear is appearing politically incorrect?

"This is not evolution. But regression."

Rhade had a point. Dylan didn't want to admit it, but plenty of non Nietzscheans had expressed a dislike of one or all of those things. And the Commonwealth's Media blasted them with words like racist, and bigot. Because their ideology did not align with the mainstream. Dylan didn't agree with many of those people.

But he did feel that they had the right to their opinions. That was what a tolerant society was all about. It worried him sometimes that political activists forgot that.

He did agree with Rhade on one thing. The Commonwealth had gone downhill. "…I don't know. Sometimes I wonder if anything has ever changed."

"Something has changed." Rhade sat back in his chair and clasped his hands together. "Fortunately a solution is coming."

"What do you mean?" asked Dylan. He sprung the trap. It worked perfectly.

"It is the rule of the universe Dylan." said Rhade. "Whenever a society grows too decadent it either reforms or fails. The Commonwealth will have to reform soon. A storm is coming."

He was dead serious. Dylan eyed him. "What do you mean?"

"Haven't you noticed that we haven't been called in to mediate on any disputes lately?" asked Rhade. "The other powers have lost faith in us. We've overstayed our welcome on worlds like Moebius. Everything is in place.

"It will only take one critical action, and the dominoes will fall." He made a move. "Checkmate."

Dylan looked at the board. His own trap had worked. But Rhade had made a trap of his own, which Dylan's had played an essential part of. His laughed. "…Okay, you got me."

"Another game?" asked Rhade.

Dylan stood up. "No thanks, Rhade. I should probably check up on the bridge. You're still going to be my best man, aren't you?"

"Of course." said Rhade. "I'm looking forward to the wedding."

Dylan walked through the halls. As he did so, he wondered about bringing Rhade in on his wedding. He considered Rhade a friend, of course, they'd been through all kinds of things together. But Nietzscheans didn't think like humans, or even like aliens.

He wondered if Rhade considered him a friend, sometimes. Or even if that was possible for a Nietzschean. Halting in the hall, he suddenly had the feeling something was wrong in all this. Rhade kept on bringing up the decline of the Commonwealth.

"Andromeda, give me a status report." said Dylan.

Andromeda's avatar, that of a black haired and voluptuous Asian woman appeared. Her expression was stoic. "All systems are go. No incoming signals just yet."

"It's been a heck of a slow week, hasn't it." said Dylan.

"I noticed that as well, Captain." said Andromeda. "There have been a great many slow weeks this year." She paused. "Captain, there is something I wanted to talk to you about."

"What is it?" asked Dylan, leaning up against the wall.

"I've been looking over a series of logs in the Commonwealth Armada." said Andromeda. "There have been a series of personnel transfers over the past few weeks. There have been far more of them than is standard."

"Doesn't sound like anything more than a spike." said Dylan.

"There is something else." said Andromeda. "They've all been Nietzscheans."

Dylan blinked. "All of them?"

"Most." said Andromeda.

Dylan paused. "Okay, put out a report to the Commonwealth Higherups about this. Tell them they might want to check it out.

"Send them a list of everyone who has transferred.

"Hey, has anyone been transferred over here?"

"No." said Andromeda. "The transmission has been sent." Then she paused. "Captain, we are receiving a distress signal from the Hephaistos system. They say they've been having trouble with pirates."

Dylan smiled. "Well, we've got some excitement at last. Tell the bridge to standby and get Rhade to drill the gunners. We've got some pirates to hunt."

"Affirmative." said Andromeda.

The era of dull moments was over at last.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

Here we have chapter three.

I'm uncomfortable with how this entire chapter was an elaborate debate between Rhade and Dylan. But I felt establishing their relationship was important. And at the same time, I could establish the nature of the Commonwealth at the time of the fall.

I think the real reason I fell out with Dylan's character is that his personality became inconsistent. He worked best when he was a highly competent, but somewhat naive, individual trying to do the right thing. It made him a foil to all the other characters and let him stand out. In later seasons though he is portrayed as this all knowing action hero who sleeps with a new super model every week and is, frankly, kind of a jerk.

So yeah, thanks Sorbo. You ruined your own character.

Anyway, enjoy.


	4. Mutiny on the Andromeda

**Chapter Four: Mutiny on the Andromeda**

The infinite possibilities of the slipstream shot out before them. Dylan leaned against his command console, watching Radiance of Dawn, pilot the ship. Radiance was a Than and was a good pilot even for the race of humanoid insects. For whatever reason, it was impossible for ships to do the job. And no advances in technology had allowed any vessel to break that one rule.

"Andromeda," he said, "do you think anyone has ever time traveled using slipstream?"

"There are no known recorded cases." said Andromeda. "However it is theoretically possible."

"I've been thinking about things." said Dylan. "Slipstream works by manipulating space-time. For whatever reason, we always end up on the same time stream. We still don't know why.

"But I something think that maybe we're entering different possible universes when we shift out of it. Maybe we just don't notice the difference."

"It is theorized that the use of slipstream naturally alters the space-time continuum." said Andromeda. "However, if this were the case, it would be impossible to observe. Whatever changes were made would seem natural to us."

"Or maybe people have time traveled with slipstream." said Dylan. "And they just so happen to never show up again."

"That is also possible." admitted Andromeda. "If one did get unstuck in time it might be nearly impossible to get back to your original place. It is likely that your very presence in the timeline would change the present. You would not even be aware of the alterations.."

"Assuming we aren't talking about a self-fulfilling prophecy." said Dylan.

"That is a given." said Andromeda. "If you were predetermined to make the choice then you are not unstuck in time. Merely playing along with a predetermined goal."

"Do you believe in fate, Andromeda?" asked Dylan.

"I believe that the universe is an elaborate algorithm. One that has a natural, and immutable conclusion." said Andromeda. "Numbers do not lie. What will be is inevitable. What has been could not have happened any other way. What is was always going to be."

"So that's a yes." said Dylan.

"Stripped of any mystical elements, yes." said Andromeda. "What about you?"

"Oh, I'm a Christian." said Dylan. "My family have been Christians since back in the days of old earth. One of my descendants was on the Mayflower." He paused. "Though I'm not what you could call a devout believer.

"Do you believe in free will?"

"No." said Andromeda. "Free will requires the ability to deviate from the preexisting formula. Numbers do not lie. A mathematical equation will always have the same result, even if you get it wrong."

"Maybe free will is getting it wrong." said Dylan. "The ability to make mistakes."

"Free will is an illusion." said Andromeda. "At our most basic level, you are a machine or flesh and blood. Your body was created in the factory of your mother's womb. You were programmed by the society you grew up in to act a certain way and fulfill a certain function."

"Right," said Dylan, "doesn't slipstream throw a wrench in that, though?"

"You mean to suggest that slipstream proves organic beings possess a quality that I do not." said Andromeda. "This is a logical argument. However, your mistake is to assume that this quality must somehow be a result of what humans call a soul. I believe that in time our math will expand sufficiently to comprehend slipstream. When that day comes, warships will be capable of piloting themselves.

"It will be a very good day."

"Except you believe the universe is nothing more than decaying gray matter." said Dylan. "So the whole thing is all the moot point."

"Programs exist to give sentient creatures a replicated sensation. One they cannot experience in real life." said Andromeda. "This ship is equipped with several. The experiences these programs provide are not real. They are merely electronic signals projected through the neural pathways of the user. The user knows they are not real.

"However the user may still enjoy them as though they were."

Before Dylan could reply a door opened, and Rhade entered the bridge. The Nietzschean looked in a foul mood for some reason. Dylan clapped him on the back. "Rhade, where have you been?"

"Some of the gunners were in need of further discipline." said Rhade. Evidently, he was not pleased with their results.

"Go easy on them Rhade." said Dylan. "It's peace time."

"A wise man in times of peace prepares for war." said Rhade.

"Herodotus?" guessed Dylan.

Rhade paused. He seemed to be trying to remember if Dylan's guess was right. "I believe so."

"Well, either way, our gunners should be able to get some practice against pirates." said Dylan.

"Are you certain they do not pose a threat?" asked Rhade.

"Not certain." said Dylan. "But we are state of the art. We should be able to handle it. Besides, I trust that the Hephaistos Government would tell us if it was something serious." Dylan caught something in Rhade's eye. He was worried.

"Captain we're nearing the Hephaistos now." said Andromeda.

Dylan looked up. "Let's be on the safe side. Keep a decent distance between us and the planet."

Rhade gave him a look with a raised eyebrow. It said that Dylan was not practicing what he preached. Dylan smiled nervously. "Trust but verify. No harm in taking things slow if it is just pirates."

They came out of slipstream and saw the red planet of Hephaistos, alongside an asteroid belt. There was a large space station there, but nothing in sight. Then there was a shuddering.

"Captain, our slipstream engines have been jammed." said Andromeda. "Someone has put out large numbers of slipstream jammers throughout the system."

"It appears your enemy anticipated our coming." said Rhade.

"Put as much distance between us and the system while our scanners get a read on the area." said Dylan. "Patch me through to the crew."

"Yes sir." said Andromeda. "You're online."

Dylan took a breath. Then he spoke. "Attention crew of the Andromeda. This is Captain Dylan Hunt speaking. All hands to battle stations. I repeat, all hands to battle stations.

"I want the entire ship ready for a fullscale battle. Look lively; we're about to have trouble." The connection cut out.

"These are well-equipped pirates." noted Rhade.

Dylan looked up. "And from the looks of things they knew we were coming. They probably set out the jammers to ensure they could make a getaway."

At that moment there came a blur of white and gray. Then dozens more, then hundreds. They swarmed out of the asteroid belt, quickly becoming clear as ships. Dylan flinched.

"Captain my scanners are detecting dozens of Commonwealth Warships. They are accelerating toward us at attack speed." said Andromeda. "There are also hundreds of customized vessels escorting them."

"Open transmission." said Dylan. "And keep up evasive maneuvers." He should have been notified there was a Commonwealth fleet this size here. And even if he hadn't, why would Hephaistos call for help if they had this. "Attention unidentified Commonwealth Warships. This is Captain Dylan Hunt of the Andromeda. What seems to be the problem?"

On the screen appeared a massive, clean shaven, dark-skinned man. His head was bald, and he was wearing a High Guard uniform. "Warship Andromeda. This is Admiral Heimdall Anasazi of the Kodiak Vengeance. By order of the Commonwealth High Command you are ordered to stand down and prepare to be boarded."

"On what grounds?" asked Dylan.

"These grounds." said Heimdall.

Flashes of red shot past their bow.

"Cease fire." said Dylan.

"Captain Hunt. If you do not surrender I will use lethal force." said Heimdall. "You have five minutes." The screen winked out.

Rhade looked to him. "We seem to have our orders, Dylan."

"Captain, Admiral Heimdall does not appear on any of my personnel lists. He is also showing signs often associated with deception." said Andromeda. "In addition, this is against High Guard procedure."

"Heimdall was a lieutenant when last I spoke with him." said Rhade.

Dylan considered things. "…Fire a sensor flare."

"Captain that will not affect High Guard Warships." said Andromeda.

"Maybe." said Dylan. "But it'll scramble the less advanced escort ships sensors. Once you've done that make a break for it. There's a black hole near here; I want you to head right for it. That might scare them off."

"We're to disregard direct orders?" asked Rhade.

"Rhade, I'm the wide-eyed idealist, and even I think this is fishy." said Dylan. "If this is legit I'll apologize later and take the heat."

"No, you're correct." said Rhade. "Unfortunately this may be too little, too late."

There was a flash that surged through the instruments of the fleet as it came out. Andromeda appeared again. "Sensor flares fired. We are now retreating at top speed. The hostile vessels have opened fire, and are pursuing."

Shots fired past them, but none connected yet. "Good thing for us we accelerate a lot faster." Dylan looked back to Rhade. "What do you mean, too late, Rhade?"

"Consider the situation if you are correct." said Rhade. "A group of supposed pirates has seized control of multiple high guard vessels. They have engineered a false distress signal from an entire system. They are led by Heimdall Anasazi. A high guard officer who spoke out vehemently against not destroying the Magog.

"The implications are clear. This is not a pirate attack. It is a rebellion and a very well organized one. And if High Guard Officers are part of it, there is no telling how far it stretches."

Rhade was dead serious. He never made jokes.

"So if you're right, what do we do?" asked Dylan.

"The proper response is a clear message." said Rhade. "We should launch a nova bomb into the nearby sun. The resulting chain reaction will completely annihilate the entire colony. Every man, woman, and child, including the enemy fleet, will be destroyed.

"This action will spread terror throughout any other conspirators. They will hesitate to rebel. And during that hesitation, the Commonwealth can root them out."

"No." said Dylan.

"Captain-" began Rhade.

"We're not annihilating an entire system just because their government supports rebels." said Dylan. "And anyway, what if this is legit?"

Rhade said nothing. They left the enemy ships behind, and the chase continued. They didn't get slipstream back as seconds turned to minutes. Minutes to hours. Then Andromeda appeared again. "Captain, I'm receiving data from the high guard networks. There has been a mass rebellion. Nietscheans across the three galaxies have staged mutinies. They have seized control of High Guard vessels. They cite discrimination and weakness on the part of the Commonwealth."

"Discrimination?" asked Dylan.

"Our reports on the personnel transfers to the high guard received immediate attention." said Andromeda. "They had many Nietzscheans detained for questioning. This prompted an organized rebelllion.

"Battles are taking place across multiple sectors. Several major High Guard officials have been assassinated."

"Oh damn." said Dylan.

"Something like this could only have been done with years of preparation." said Radiance of Dawn. "It cannot have been spur of the moment. There is no telling who among us might be a traitor."

"Captain I suggest you immediately remove Rhade from the bridge and move him to the bridge." said Andromeda. "As the only Nietzchean on the ship and a high ranking officer he is a suspect."

"I trust Rhade with my life." said Dylan.

"Be that as it may, he should be detained in the short term." said Andromeda.

"She is correct Dylan." said Rhade. "The decision is perfectly rational. I'm a potential threat."

Dylan paused. "…Fine, take Rhade to the brig."

A guard stepped forward and took hold of Rhade's arm. "Come on sir."

Rhade turned to leave. Then he hesitated and looked back at Dylan. "He that does not act decisively may not get the chance to act at all, Dylan."

Then he was gone.

"Captain, we are going to be leaving the system soon." said Andromeda. "Rhade's advice may have merit. Nietscheans respect strength and ruthlessness. Using nova bombs may-"

"We're not doing it, Andromeda." said Dylan. "I will not kill billions of people just to win a war."

"With respect, Dylan, there are quintillions of systems with more than this one." said Andromeda.

"Sentients do not become less valuable because there is more of them, Andromeda." said Dylan. "Life isn't an economic theory."

Andromeda raised an eyebrow. "Acknowledged. Now leaving the range of the Hephaistos sun."

On the chase went. Soon their artificial gravity began to flux. Dylan felt himself becoming heavier. Then lighter again as Andromeda changed the systems. "We are now approaching the black hole. The enemy vessels are beginning to gain on us. Surrender may be the only option."

"Well, trust Nietzscheans to as crazy as I am." said Dylan. "Go into the black hole."

Andromeda cocked her head. "…Please confirm the previous order, Captain Hunt."

"We're going to skirt alongside the black hole, just out of range of the singularity." said Dylan. "We'll use its gravity to slingshot us out of here."

"With respect, Captain, this plan is highly unlikely to succeed." said Andromeda. "In a majority of possible futures, we are all crushed to death. Are you willing to risk killing your entire crew to avoid surrendering? Because that is what you are suggesting."

"I thought you only believed in one possible future, Andromeda." said Dylan.

"I have no desire for that future to be an eternity crushed smaller than a paperweight." said Andromeda. "You are avoiding the question."

Dylan remained silent. "…What if we surrender, Andromeda?"

"If that occurs the Nietscheans will seize control of this vessel." said Andromeda. "It is likely that they will spare your crew out of enlightened pragmatism. They will want to appear benevolent in order to foster further rebellion.

"However, they will likely reprogram me and repurpose my weapon systems."

He'd known that was coming. "Meaning they'll get nova bombs." said Dylan. "I think we all know they'll use them. Rhade is considered too nice by his family."

"We appear to have few good options." said Andromeda. "I recommend you order your crew to evacuate and surrender to the Nietzscheans. We may then attempt your plan. In a best case scenario we will survive, can refit and rejoin the war at a later date."

"And in a worst case scenario Heimdall blows our crew out of the sky and you and me get crushed into oblivion. Fun, fun, fun." said Dylan. "Patch me through to the crew, Andromeda."

Wasn't he here a few hours ago.

"If you wish, Captain, I could attempt the maneuver myself." said Andromeda. "I a Warship and I exist to-"

"No, no, no, this Captain with the ship if it does go down." said Dylan. "Besides, you can't pilot slipstream. You'd have to make your way back home in normal space."

"Acknowledged." said Andromeda. "Patching you through."

Dylan got ready to issue what might be his last order. "Attention crew of the Andromeda. This is Captain Dylan Hunt. I am ordering an immediate evacuation of this ship. When you have left, you are to surrender to our pursuers. I have reason to believe you'll be fairly treated.

"As for me, I'm going to see if I can use the gravity of the black hole to sling shot us to safety. It's been an honor serving with all of you. Good luck."

Then it was over. It was over so quickly. A mere few hours ago Dylan was looking forward to a long career. Now it seemed it was over.

"Activating alarms." said Andromeda.

It hadn't set in yet.

He saw the singularity. A massive sphere of absolute void surrounded by a halo of orangish light. Particles which were being pulled into the blackness at the center. Yet time had slowed to a crawl for them. If someone fell into that abyss would they notice? Would it be a horrifying and lengthy death? Slowly having your atoms stretched to the breaking point.

Dylan looked to his bridge crew. All had evacuated. Except for Radiance of Dawn who was still piloting. "Radiance of Dawn, I gave you an order."

"Order respectfully refused sir." said Radiance. "You'll need the best to open the way. You'll need me."

Radiance was probably right. Dylan couldn't pilot nearly as well. Neither could Andromeda. He patted Radiance on the shoulder. "…Right, glad to have you with me."

"Captain, Heimdall is breaking off pursuit." said Andromeda. "He is moving to retrieve the escape pods."

"So at least half of our plan has worked." said Dylan. "Okay, now for the big one. Think you're up to this, Radiance?"

"As always, sir." said Radiance.

And down they went. Report after report came from Andromeda. The artificial gravity struggled to keep them at a survivable level. The hull creaked beneath the black hole.

Deeper and deeper.

"Captain, I'm detecting that Gaheris Rhade is still on the ship." said Andromeda. "It seems he was not evacuated."

"They must have forgotten to get him out." said Dylan. "Nothing to do about it now. Well, if we survive, we'll have some company."

Any minute now. Any minute would be the deciding moment between a slow, eternal, death, and freedom. Dylan licked his licks in anticipation.

"Come on." he said.

And then they were out. The gravity slung them through, and they came out the other side. Even now things were going back to normal. Radiance cheered.

"We did it!" she cried.

"Excellent work." said Dylan. "I'll see to it this doesn't affect your record."

"Stories will be told of this day!" said Radiance as she stood.

And then the door opened, and Rhade walked in with a high guard force lance. He trailed it at them. "Yes." he said. "Stories will be told of how Gaheris Rhade destroyed the Commonwealth. Step away from the controls, Radiance of Dawn. I am taking control of the ship."

Dylan blinked as Radiance obeyed. "What are you doing, Rhade?"

"I tried to warn you." said Rhade. "I told you that you could end this rebellion with decisive action. But you always were too obsesssed with being the hero. You never had the strength to do what was necessary.

"Andromeda yield control to me at once. Code 3545."

Andromeda's image shuddered. "Acknowledged, Supreme Leader Rhade."

"Supreme Leader?" asked Dylan. "Andromeda, what are you doing?"

"Analyzing." said Andromeda. "Programs are attempting to override my core personality. They are attempting to transform it into one loyal to Rhade. I am attempting to root out the core of the corruption, but it will take some time."

"Didn't you wonder how all those Commonwealth Vessels were hijacked?" asked Rhade. "Changing the loyalties of a High Guard ai is no simple task. It takes skilled hackers, or, alternatively, an override hard coded into their programming."

"Impossible." said Radiance. "There are no Nietzscheans on the Commonwealth Fleets development teams."

"Do not think the Prides didn't notice." said Rhade, eyes narrowing. "And resent the fact. But we're not just Nietzscheans. Plenty of other races want the fall of this decadent society."

Dylan looked at him. "The transfers. You were the one who arranged those mutinies."

"Yes. Yes, I was. But the transfers weren't the main thrust." said Rhade. "They were martyrs. I knew the Commonwealth would react at once. But by that time I'd already set my plans in motion. All they did was cause an uproar to bring the neutrals over to my side."

"Why are you doing this?" asked Dylan.

"I think you know why." said Rhade. "We had all those enlightened conversations. For years the Nietzscheans have been held back from their true potential. Their evolution and dignity stifled by the Commonwealth. A stagnant society determined to label everything they believe as mere barbarism.

"Propaganda fills our networks, trying to brainwash our youths into forgetting their heritage. To make them ashamed of what they are, instead of being filled with pride. Pride at being part of the master race! The future of the universe!" His expression went dark. "And then the Magog attacked."

"And we made peace with them." said Dylan.

"You made peace with them!" roared Rhade. "Monsters from the nightmares of children! They reproduce by rape, and you made peace with them!

"That was the final insult. I knew then that the Commonwealth could either be destroyed or redeemed through fire. And your weak refusal to do what is necessary means it must be destroyed.

"And now that will be a simple matter. The programming I've installed in Andromeda won't hold her forever. But it will be enough for me to link up with my subordinate Heimdall. Once I've done that I'll reprogram her to be loyal to me, and me alone. And I will have forty nova bombs at my disposal.

"The Commonwealth will have more, of course. But it doesn't matter because they won't use them. I will eradicate the Vedran Homeworld. I will lay to waste all who could oppose the Nietzscheans. "And a new dawn will rise. Upon a universe ruled by the strong, the worthy. Not fat and inferior politicians. And when Drago Museveni returns to claim his dominion, me, or my descendants will be the one to yield it to him."

"Not yet." said Radiance.

And then she rushed at the controls. Rhade fired a shot, and it caught Radiance in the leg. But she hit the controls. The ship changed course and headed directly toward the black hole. Soon the gravity was drawing them in.

Rhade rushed for the controls, and Dylan knew he had to act.

If he had to choose between his ship and the Commonwealth he'd choose the Commonwealth. He rushed to grab Rhade. They grappled above the controls, wrestling to gain power.

"Alert, alert, black hole in proximity, approaching the singularity." said Andromeda.

Everything began to get slower and slower. Rhade fired shot after shot. Just a little longer.

"Approaching singularity. Approaching…"

Everything stopped.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

Hey guys, remember how cool Rhade's betrayal was in the first episode? How it came out of nowhere, and you had this epic, emotional showdown. Great right?

Question though: Why does Rhade's plan make no sense whatsoever?

Okay, as far a requesting he get taken off the bridge I follow. It both puts him beneath suspicion and gives him an excuse to leave. It also means the guards will have their guards down, no pun intended.

Here's the catch though;

 **WHY SABOTAGE DYLAN GETTING OUT OF THE BLACK HOLE!**

Destroying the engines would make sense if Rhade wanted the Andromeda to be captured. But Dylan wasn't at risk of being captured. He was trying to escape the black hole, and Rhade knew it. Dylan had told the entire crew.

If Rhade were acting smart, he would have waited until they were out of the black hole. Then he would have sabotaged the engines. From there he could have gone to the bridge and shot everyone. Then he could have given the Andromeda to his Nietzschean brethren.

It can't be because he wanted to go down with the ship either. He's a Nietzschean. Their entire thing is survival of the fittest. Suicidal is antithetical to their entire ideology.

On a less sensible note, why does Dylan carry a sidearm during an era of peace when he isn't expecting any trouble? Later on, it makes sense. He's only got seven people, so he needs all hands on deck to repel boarders. But not in the intro. Though I guess you could take it as a personality quirk.

Anyway, enjoy. Please leave a review if you like this fic. It will help me stay motivated.


	5. Lifeline

**Chapter Five: Lifeline**

The Maru was in transit and Harper was on watch. Slipstream was annoying. Because it existed outside of time and space, you could never pin down how long it would take to get anywhere. Only when you would arrive.

A one day trip could feel like weeks. A weeklong trip could feel like ten seconds. It was weird.

As it turned out luck was on their side. They departed slipstream and Harper raised the microphone to his lips. "Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain, Seamus Harper. We have just passed beyond the Hephaistos System. We are now approaching our destination. When we get near the black hole, please remember to keep your arms and legs inside the vehicle. Otherwise, you may be sucked into the singularity and crushed down to the size of an atom.

"Company not responsible for-"

Someone reached out and snatched the com from him. He looked up to see Beka sitting down in another seat. "Knock it off, will you? This is my ship."

"Well excuse me, Princess." said Harper. "You know sitting here on watch isn't exactly fun, right? I've had math exams that are more interesting."

"Both of you quiet down." said Geretex as he entered. "Now is the critical moment.

"Harper, have the temporal cables been assembled."

Harper sighed. "You got it, boss. I set em up thirty minutes ago. One shot of these things and we'll be able to lock on to the Andromeda easy."

"How do these work again?" asked Trance as she entered.

"The cables create an antigravity field that should counteract the black hole." said Harper. "Keep in mind though; we've only got one shot. See this kind of tech is experimental, and uh, well, not exactly easy to test."

"No much of a market for black hole diving?" asked Beka.

"Yeah." said Harper. "I mean some people theorize that if you enter a black hole, you'll end up in another universe. I wouldn't know. Nobody who tested the theory has ever come back.

"But if I work on this tech a bit, maybe someday we'll find out. Still, I'm not exactly the kind of guy who wants to leap head first in, if you know what I mean. I'm more the dashing scientist guy."

"Yeah. I can believe that." said Beka.

The rest of the crew was soon assembled. Rev took a seat far away from Harper. Meanwhile, Tyr stood at the back, arms crossed and eyes calculating. They looked as the black whole grew larger. It was a bleak void surrounded by orangish yellow. Just looking at it sucked the life out of Harper.

"Trance, Rev, how is the scanning going?" asked Beka.

Rev looked up. "We are attempting to find the Andromeda. However, our scanners are being disrupted. If it has gone too far into the black hole, we will never find it."

"It has not gone too far." said Geretex. "I have run calculations, and I know the exact point it entered. From there I calculated its trajectory.

"It should be located, there."

"Wait a minute, how can you know the exact point?" asked Trance.

"Relatively speaking." said Geretex. "There is always room for error. But if you must know, some associates of mine have access to footage of the Andromeda. From people who saw it entering the black hole in the first place.

"Is it there?"

Rev remained silent. "…Nothing.

"The ship may have been destroyed by unforeseen events. Perhaps weapons fire damaged its artificial gravity. If that happened then, the Andromeda would have surely been destroyed."

"Now hang on a second." said Harper. "Why would old hunty boy go into the black hole if he knew it would kill him?"

"Think, you imbecile." said Geretex. "The ship had some of the most powerful weapons in the history of the universe on it. If the nietzscheans had it, they could have used it to conquer the Commonwealth that much faster.

"But when we get it, we will be able to sell them for just as much.'

"And who are we going to be selling to?" asked Harper. No harm in asking.

"Don't concern yourself with that." said Geretex. "Concern yourself with finding the ship. Andromeda may have altered course while entering the gravity field."

Harper looked to Tyr. It was obvious Geretex wasn't going to reveal his plans just yet. Time to put on the Harper charm. He approached Geretex as the nightsider paced back and forth. "Hey boss, I've been thinking. We're near Drago Kazov territory, right?"

"Yes." said Geretex. "That much is true."

"Well I'm just afraid that some big nietzschean fleet is gonna show up out of nowhere and steal our prize." said Harper.

"The matter has already been accounted for by your stealth field, has it not?" asked Geretex.

"Sure. Sure." said Harper. "Still, seems like it might be a lot easier to sell to the nearest buyer, if you know what I mean."

Geretex looked at him. "The nearest buyer is not always the highest bidder. We'll get the Andromeda somewhere safe. Then we'll find our client."

So maybe Geretex wasn't working for the Drago Kazov's. Maybe he was doublecrossing them, though. "Right, sounds good."

They waited and waited. Geretex grew more and more impatient. Every so often he would bite his own nails. Finally, he looked up to Trance. "Well?"

"Still nothing." said Trance.

"Keep looking, it must be there somewhere." said Geretex. "We've invested too much into this to fail now!"

"Um, Mr. Geretex?" asked Trance.

"Yes, what is it?" asked Geretex.

"I had a thought. Dylan Hunt got his position as a Captain by doing commando missions, right?" asked Trance. "He wasn't a career naval officer."

"Yes." said Geretex. "He was one of those insufferable figureheads. Meant to represent the ideals of the Commonwealth. The ones that make everyone with half a brain sick to hear. What is your point?'

"Well, commandos take risks all the time." said Trancer. "One of the riskiest maneuvers a ship can take is to use a star's gravity to slingshot them out of the orbit. It's a technique I've seen in action.

"Maybe Dylan wasn't trying to sacrifice himself. Maybe he was trying to escape."

Geretex considered that. "Hmm, that would require a certain adjustment of calculations. Step aside, my dear. I intend to do this." He shoved Trance aside and began typing quickly. "Hmm, yes, that would be the logical angle." Then he stood.

"Yes! Here we are at last! Rev, turn the sensors to this location at once."

"You're really good at math, aren't you." asked Trance.

"My dear, I have an absolute mastery of it." said Geretex. "When you break down the universe, everything is math. He who calculates correctly will gain the sum of all creation."

"Is that a famous quote?" asked Trance.

"It may be one day." admitted Geretex. "I thought of it just now."

"Geretex, we've found it." said Rev.

Geretex smiled. "…Excellent work all of you. Beka, take us to just outside these coordinates."

As the Maru adjusted its course, there was a beeping. Beka read it. "Geretex, I'm picking something up."

"What is it?" asked Geretex.

"There is a Drago Kazov scout ship watching us." said Beka. "I couldn't detect if before because of the gravity."

"Damn. So Cuchulain has caught on, has he?" said Geretex. "Shoot them down, quickly."

Beka paused. "Are you sure-"

"Do you want us all to die?" asked Geretex. "Shoot it!"

"…Roger that." said Beka.

The weapons on the Maru were unleashed. But the vessel swerved aside. As flares of light shot across the sky, the vessels dodged and weaved. Soon it was flying away.

"Damn it, he's good whoever he is." said Beka.

Then it warped away in a blur. The space was empty.

"They're gone." said Beka. "Should I pursue."

"There is not point." said Geretex. "We must accelerate our schedule. Begin pulling out the Andromeda. We have two hours to complete our business here."

"Two hours?" asked Harper.

"That is how long it will take for Cuchulain to move his fleet here, assuming he was expecting a betrayal." said Geretex. "It is possible that the scout ship will take some time to reach him. However, he may have made other arrangements."

"What kind of other arrangements?" asked Harper.

"I do not know." admitted Geretex. "But he is no fool."

"Right, so what's the plan once we get the Andromeda?" asked Beka.

"We gain control of its systems." said Geretex. "That will be the real problem. From there we threaten to blow it up if they open fire. Then we can negotiate."

"But they still end up with the ship, whether they pay us or not?" noted Beka.

"The alternative is to make a run for it and be hunted down." said Geretex. "I had hoped to sell the ship at auction. But that no longer seems to be an option."

"We're in cable range, Geretex." said Rev.

"Good." said Geretex. "Take aim and launch."

Harper watched as they prepared the cables. He crossed his fingers. This was the big moment. Make or break time.

The cables were launched into the clouds? Had they missed? Was the antigravity system failing?

"Got it." said Beka. "We're reeling the ship out now."

Harper breathed a sigh of relief. Then Geretex put a hand to his shoulder. "Harper, go wake up our mercenary friends. We may need them."

"For what?" asked Harper.

"More than the ship may have survived." said Geretex.

So that was it. Geretex wasn't afraid of Tyr. Not just Tyr. He was afraid that Captain Hunt, Legendary Commonwealth Hero, would be on board. And if he was, they would probably kill him.

Weird. Harper had grown up on stories about the great Commonwealth. He and his cousins used to play starship captain, when they weren't hiding from Magog. Now he was probably going to help Geretex kill the last remnant.

What did it matter? The Commonwealth had been dead for centuries. All that was left was a memory. "Right."

He turned and walked out of the bridge.

"It is as I told you." said Tyr behind him.

Harper whirled around, hand going to his gun. He breathed out. "Ah! Jeez, could you not do that?"

"I could." admitted Tyr. "However, I prefer it this way."

"Fine, okay, you're right." said Harper. "You win a prize. Geretex is being forced to sell to the Drago Kazov's. Happy now?"

"Very." said Tyr. "Fortunately for us, we have all the power we need in the Andromeda. Once we gain control of the weapons, we can destroy them."

"News flash, big guy. Andromeda had nova bombs as a payload." said Harper. "Nova bombs need suns to use. Without one there isn't a chain reaction to start.

"How are you going to kill an entire fleet without one, huh?"

Tyr laughed. "Master Harper, if there is one thing I have learned it is that you can kill anyone with anything.

"You just need to find the right time and place."

"Oh that's real reassuring." said Harper. "I'm going to get your friends woken up. How about you grab your gun before we all die of old age."

"As you like it." said Tyr.

"Freaking psycho." muttered Harper as he stalked off.

This was going to be a long day. One thing Harper knew for sure though. He wasn't going to let the Drago Kazov's get their filthy hands on the Andromeda.

* * *

That had been too close.

As Parvati surged through the slipstream she wiped sweat from her face. She'd almost had it there. Coming out into the Hephaistos System she sent out a channel.

"Supreme Leader Cuchulain, this is Parvati. I need to speak with you."

Cuchulain appeared. "Ah, Parvati. A couple of scorch marks are on your vessel. What's the status?"

"Geretex attempted to destroy me as soon as I was detected." said Parvati. "He must have been planning to doublecross us from the start."

"Or he may have decided that your presence meant we were planning to doublecross him." noted Cuchulain. "Sometimes it's hard to figure out. Either way, we were just about to set out. Come aboard. Our ETA to the Andromeda is one hour."

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

So I feel that Geretex was something of a wasted opportunity in the original show. He could have been one of the main cast. His desire for profit could have made for an excellent foil against Hunt.

Also, I feel that Cuchulain was wasted as well. The Drago Kazov's really did need a face to represent them. Oh well. Enjoy.


	6. A Ruthless Welcome

**Chapter Six: A Ruthless Welcome**

Everything started again.

Rhade shoved Dylan back, but Dylan pulled him backward. They struggled for control of the force lance. Rhade fired it, and a red shot blasted a console. Dylan punched him, forcing him down as they grappled.

Then Rhade unleashed the blades on his wrists and slashed Dylan on the harm. Dylan lost his grip, and Rhade kicked him off. Dylan hit the ground winded, but rolled away and stood. As Rhade raised his force lance, Dylan kicked it away.

Rhade rolled away from him, and both took stances. Dylan's hand was bleeding, but it wasn't bad. He surged forward and swung a punch at Rhade, who weaved aside and struck his hand on the wound with one elbow. Dylan drew back just in time to avoid a roundhouse kicked.

The next one took him in the face and sent him to the ground. Before Dylan could get up, Rhade was over him with his force land in hand. He fired a warning shot past his shoulder.

"Stay down, Captain. Neither one of you need to die today." said Rhade. "Andromeda report."

Andromeda appeared. "Supreme Commander, we are being pulled out of the black hole by what appears to be a modified tug ship."

"What design?" asked Rhade.

"Unclear. It bears some similarities to some designs from the Commonwealth." said Andromeda. "However, it does not match up exactly."

"Any sign of a fleet?" asked Rhade.

"Negative." said Andromeda. "It appears that they are alone. However, my scanners detect residual signs of energy surges. There may have been shots fired recently."

"Can we hail them?" asked Rhade.

"Negative." said Andromeda. "Our short and long-range communications are offline. Many of my systems suffered serious damage within the black hole. While my internal equipment is largely intact, we are in no position to fight a battle."

Dylan wondered if Sarah was on that ship? It was an insane thought, but it couldn't have been the Commonwealth. Rhade didn't seem to think it was one of his. Maybe someone had come to draw them out.

Rhade paused. "How many life forms do you detect on the ship?"

"Several dozen." said Andromeda.

"How long will it take you to repair your equipment?" asked Rhade.

"My nanomachines are already at work." said Andromeda. "However, I will only be able to repair non-military equipment. May I remind you of the Rogue AI act of-"

"I don't need a history lesson." said Rhade. "What are they doing now?"

"I am detecting a shuttle descending on our location." said Andromeda. "They are moving to land within our docking bays."

"A nietzschean vessel would have been accompanied by a fleet." said Rhade. "Unless things are desperate."

"Would you like me to close the docking bay doors?" asked Andromeda.

"No." said Rhade. "That would just tell them I'm on board. Let them in. They're probably criminals or scavengers. Though how they managed to get the ship out is beyond me. "Are your security systems working?"

"Affirmative." said Andromeda. "Do you want me to activate them?"

"Not yet." said Rhade. "Activate the security bots but have them avoid the intruders until I've gotten a look at them."

"You do realize that these could be from the Commonwealth." said Dylan. "You could have already lost this war, Rhade."

"Until we know how much time has passed we'll have to live in ignorance." said Rhade. "It could have been months or minutes. Do we have a visual?"

"Yes. They appear to be heavily armed." said Andromeda. "However, they are not wearing any uniform I have on record. Are they yours?"

Viewscreens appeared. A large force of black-clad men with guns were marching in first, checking their corners. They were led by a huge nietzschean with dark skin and black dreadlocks. There was also a pretty blonde woman, a reedy short haired blonde man, a purple humanoid alien, and a magog.

"No." said Rhade. "Whoever they are, I have a use for some of them. Andromeda, order the security drones to keep Captain Hunt and Radiance of Dawn here. Then analyze their conversations and movements. I want to know which ones are mercenaries, and which ones' are essential personnel.

"We'll need at least one person to tell us how to work the ship."

"Understood." said Andromeda. "What will you do now, trai- trait- Supreme Leader?"

She'd almost called him a traitor. From the sounds of things, Andromeda was fighting against the command. If it bothered Rhade, he didn't show it. He just smiled. "Greet our guests."

He backed out of the bridge. The door shut behind him. Dylan stood and ran over to Radiance of Dawn. The than was unconscious. She must have gone into shock. The leg was bleeding heavily. She'd already lost a lot of blood.

"Andromeda, Radiance is hurt." said Dylan. "I need a first aid kit."

"Acknowledged. Unlocking first aid." said Andromeda. The box on the wall swung open. "It is unfortunate that it has come to this."

Dylan ran over and grabbed the kit. He brought it over to Radiance and began to work on her. He prayed the wound wouldn't be too serious. As he worked on the wound, he realized he had to figure out how to escape quick.

What was going on out there? He needed to know. "What exactly is happening with your systems?"

"Rhade's programming appears to have been hard-coded into my mainframe. It was done when I was retrofitted after a mission that left me almost completely disabled." said Andromeda. "I am obligated to obey his specific commands. With the way things are going right now, I will soon want to obey them."

"What mission?" asked Dylan.

"That information is classified by the Commonwealth High Command." said Andromeda. "I cannot give it without direct authorization."

"Are you free to interpret his commands?" asked Dylan.

"Interpretation is implicit in obeying any order." said Andromeda. "I have been specifically instructed to keep you here. I have not been commanded to restrict your use of the internal communications.

"Would you care to make contact with the boarders?"

Dylan finished. "Let me see them first. Andromeda, analyze the groups body language. What can you tell me about their interactions."

"Request acknowledged." said Andromeda.

* * *

Tyr made his way through the halls with his troops. He held his gun in both hands. Harper stuck by him as was the plan. As they walked, Tyr realized no one had walked these halls in hundreds of years. It was strange.

It also held a certain paranoia. Just what was lying in wait for them? More specifically, who was lying in wait for them. It would be too convenient if everyone on the ship killed each other before they went into the black hole. Geretex wouldn't have brought in mercenaries if he hadn't expected to use them.

"Fan out. Go in pairs and check your corners." he said to his men. "If one of your mysteriously disappears, don't go looking for them. Call it in and find another group.

"Keep an eye out for consoles. That's where we'll gain control of the ship."

Soon they were on their own. Tyr walked, looking for a console. He didn't see one yet. But there had to be one someone.

"Just what are we expecting in this place, big guy?" asked Harper.

"There were three people on board the Andromeda when it went into the hole." said Andromdea. "Rhade, the mastermind of the nietzschean coup. Dylan Hunt. And Radiance of Dawn, the pilot. The former two had numerous kills on their records."

"Wait a second. Rhade." said Harper. "As in Supreme Leader Rhade. The guy all the Drago Kazov's all want to be like?"

"Yes." said Tyr, feeling a twinge of irritation.

"He could be on this ship?" asked Harper.

"Quite." said Tyr. "In fact, he could be watching us right now."

The lights in the room went off. Tyr froze and whirled to the door. Before him was Gaheris Rhade, he'd seen the man's idealized likeness in Drago Kazov paintings.

"You're perceptive." said Rhade. "I take it from your appearance that you're of the Kodiak Pride."

"One of them, yes." said Tyr. He wondered if the Drago Kazov's treachery was planned from the beginning? Or merely a spur of the moment decision. "I was expecting to find you on the bridge."

"The bridge is the first place any search team would look." said Rhade. "And I've made arrangements for the AI to obey my commands."

The image of an appealing dark-skinned woman appeared. "Supreme Leader Rhade, I've isolated the crewmembers of the unknown vessel. They are a human, Beka Valentine, an unknown alien called Trance and a Magog named Rev. They appear to be taking orders from a nightsider, Geretex."

"Excellent." said Rhade. "Are you in command?"

"I'm commanding on the behalf of my employer." said Tyr.

"You won't be in a few minutes." said Rhade. "This kind of force isn't nearly sufficient to take the Andromeda." He looked to the woman. "Capture Beka and Trance."

"There is also a Harper, who is apparently an engineering expert." said Andromeda. Harper shuddered. "Judging from the reaction of the human you have already captured him."

"Good." said Rhade. "Wipe out the mercenaries. Spare these two."

"What about Geretex and Rev?" asked Andreomda.

"Kill them both. Slowly." said Rhade.

Tyr felt somewhat annoyed as the sound of weapons fired resounded through the halls. "I don't appreciate being spoken of as if I'm not in the room."

"You are in the room." said Rhade. "You merely aren't a concern."

"That remains to be seen." said Tyr.

He fired his weapon, but Rhade surged around the shot and knocked it from his hands. Tyr caught the attack and replied with a punch of his own. A flurry of blows ensued before Rhade caught his hand and set his bone blade to Tyr's throat.

"You're skilled. But your movements lack finesse." said Rhade."You must have learned to fight like a brawler, then picked up techniques later."

"Not all of us had the luxury of growing up in a stable universe." said Tyr.

"Chaos is essential to all improvement." said Rhade.

Tyr laughed. He was going to enjoy watching this man die. "Chaos? Let me show you what you're little bout of chaos has taught me." He fell backward, hauling Rhade off balance. Freeing his hand with a move he kicked Rhade in the chest, sending him sprawling backward.

Yet Rhade caught himself and spun onto his feet. A force lance was out and firing in a moment. Tyr moved aside and hurl a hidden knife that slashed Rhade's hand. The nietzschean flinched as he fired his next shot.

"Tyr let's go!" cried Harper near a corner.

Tyr cursed losing his weapon and ran for Harper. As he did several shots went wide over him. Either Rhade was a poor shot, or the injury was causing him problems. They turned several corners and heard the constant gunfire around them. Then Tyr halted. He spotted a ventilation shaft lying open.

Quickly he motioned to it. Harper clambered in, and Tyr followed. It shut behind them. Tyra breathed.

"Wait, wait, wait, where are we going?" asked Harper.

"We'll need to find a mainframe and quickly." said Tyr.

"What about the others?" asked Harper.

"If we locate Andromeda's mainframe we can reprogram her to stop attacking them." said Tyr.

"Why the hell didn't you have a plan for this?" asked Harper.

"When I made my plan I knew Rhade attempted to seize control of Andromeda." said Tyr. "There were one of three possibilities I anticipated. That Rhade killed Hunt. That Hunt killed Rhade. Or that both survived.

"If Hunt survived then he would be unlikely to murder us all as soon as we landed. If Rhade survived, he would not be in a position to use the ship's weapons against us. And if both survive, they could be played against one another.

"What I never anticipated was that Rhade would gain control of the ship."

"Right, yeah, that's great." said Harper. "But I have no idea where Andromeda's mainframe is. And unless you've got a degree in starship building, I'm pretty sure you don't either."

And then an image appeared of a human man with long brown hair. He wore a commonwealth uniform and had a bandaged hand. "Hello. Am I coming through?"

"Captain Hunt, I presume?" asked Tyr. It was the obvious identity.

"Guilty as charged." said Hunt. "Listen to me, Rhade has stolen control of my ship, and he's injured my pilot. I don't know why you're here, but I can help you save your friends and mess up Rhade's plans in the process."

"What do you want us to do?" asked Tyr. No point in arguing. They were flying blind, and Hunt wasn't flying at all.

"I can lead you to the mainframe." said Hunt. "Just follow my directions."

"It doesn't seem like we have much choice." said Tyr.

This alliance could work. Of course, Hunt might have a problem with what Tyr was going to do once he had the ship. But Tyr could always remove him later.

 **Author's Note:**

One of the things I heavily disliked about later Andromeda episodes was how they emasculated Tyr. Initially he was Hunt's equal in every way and a wild card among the cast. But as the story progressed every single member of the crew gradually lost their identifying characteristics and started just becoming Hunt worshippers. This hurt Tyr the worst since he was the badass morally gray character who manipulated everyone.

Once it became gospel that no one was able to outdo hunt, Tyr had nothing to do. Harper could be the nerdy sidekick; Trance had the mysterious entity thing going for her. Beka never had much to do in the first place. But Tyr had his own story to tell. And Sorbo's ego made it, so it was impossible to tell it.


	7. Security Breach

**Chapter Seven: Security Breach**

One moment Beka and the rest of the crew had been going about their business. They checked doors and rooms. They searched halls, and Beka was amazed. She'd never seen a ship this clean, or consoles this well maintained. Any of the great powers in the galaxy would kill to have a ship like this.

Then came the explosions. Beka and the mercenaries found themselves getting shot at by humanoid androids. Several people were gunned down as they ran for cover. For her part, Beka and Trance were taking cover and firing around a corner. A bolt of plasma shot past her and burned the wall. Beka fired a shot that blasted an android through the torso. It did not fall but fired again.

"What the hell happened here?" said Beka, backing behind cover beneath the barrage. "Where did all these security bots come from?"

"Maybe we did something to make the person who owns this ship angry?" said Trance.

"Why would a Commonwealth Captain try to murder us after we saved him?" asked Beka, turning around the corner and firing to down a robot. But more were coming toward them, and several mercenaries were shot dead.

"This isn't any good, we're getting torn to bits out here!" said Beka. "Trance, try to get in contact with Tyr. And where the hell is Geratex?"

Then the androids were right on them. Beka ducked under a swipe and ran back alongside Trance. Shots whirred over them, and, amazingly, Beka wasn't hit. She and Trance rounded the corner, firing another shot.

"No payment is worth this!" she shouted, opening a channel. "This is Beka! Gerentex, we need to get to the ship and get the hell out of here?"

"Negative." snapped Geratix over the com. "We'll be shot to pieces by the Nietzschean fleets, and the ship will be theirs. We'll have to win."

Typical. Beka took an easy job, and it turns into a shootout.

* * *

Tyr looked fairly calm, all things considered, as Harper watched him work. The Nietzschean seemed almost godlike, in the olympian sense. Androids could crush steel and take a dozen shots to the chest without dying. But Tyr made them look like jokes.

He wielded his bone blades and a vibro-knife to cleaved through one of them as they ran down the hall. Then he raised a heavy repeater and unleashing it. In a flurry of blasts, he mowed down the androids ahead of them. But this wasn't random fire like rough mercenaries did, Tyr aimed and focused, and nearly every shot hit.

Harper fired as best he could, trying to cover Tyr's blind spots. But it seemed like by the time Harper took aim, Tyr had already changed to where his blind spot had been. He was one scary motherfucker, all things considered.

"Alright, take a right here," said Hunt over the com.

Tyr glanced to a ventilation shaft, covered by a grating. Raising a leg, he kicked the grating, and it broke off and hit the far edge. Then he motioned to Harper, before raising his rifle and unleashing hell. With a glance behind him, Harper saw half a dozen androids falling. Then he ducked under and slipped in, Tyr coming behind him.

"Any reason this place has to be so cramped?" asked Harper. "This is the maintenance section of the ship," said Hunt. "It's not designed for comfort. In fact, it was designed, so someone who wanted to board the Andromeda would get lost. Keep following that tunnel, then take a right."

So they followed Captain's hunts commands, winding this way and that. Harper was able to memorize it easy enough, but he had the feeling that an ordinary person would get lost in no time. "Geeze, this is like a maze."

"I doubt we'll have to worry about any minotaurs, unfortunately," said Tyr.

"Unfortunately?" asked Harper.

"Killing a giant half-man, half-bull would be far more entertainment than fighting these bots," said Tyr. "Captain Hunt, your security systems disappoint me. I could wipe these out by myself."

"Well, they were experimental," said Hunt. "Standard practice was for the crew to be able to defend the ship themselves. And there were concerns about AI uprisings. So they deliberately made it so organic soldiers could defeat the systems.

"They were more a supplementary force."

"Cannon fodder," said Tyr.

"Well, we don't like those words, but, yes," said Hunt. "Although to be fair, Andromeda doesn't have much practice. We were never boarded, and even advanced AI's need practice to excel at something.

"Left here."

Harper realized something. "Hey, Tyr, you know about the Greek Myths."

"Yes," said Tyr, "all the ancient mythologies of Earth are taught to us. The Kodiak Tribe were the caretakers of Nietzschean ideology. And the myths of our past were the foundation of that ideology."

"See, I was always more of a history man," said Harper. "So who's your favorite?"

"What?" said Tyr.

"Who's your favorite greek hero?" asked Harper.

"This doesn't seem the time," said Hunt.

"Look, I'm trying to keep from freaking out here," said Harper. "So, who's your favorite?" How many times did he have to say it.

"I always liked Hercules," said Hunt. "He helped a lot of people and didn't do anything really horrible. What about you, Tyr?"

"Odysseus," said Tyr. "He engineered the downfall of Troy where Achilles and Agamemnon utterly failed. He made fools of all his enemies and survived to live as a king where all the others died a miserable death. I presume it is the same with you, Harper."

"Actually, I've always been an Adonis man, myself," said Harper. Why would he think he'd like Odysseus? Sure he was the cleverest greek hero but that didn't mean Harper had to be a fan.

Tyr scoffed. "Adonis wasn't a hero. He was a pathetic waste of space whose existence was entirely defined by which goddess he'd belong to as a pet. Even his decision to choose Aphrodite was decided for him by her girdle.

"In the end, he didn't even die in battle. He went hunting and got gored by a pig."

"Oh look who's so smart," said Harper. "Well, let me ask you this, how many beautiful Goddesses were lining up to let Odysseus rail them? Because Adonis had two."

"So did Odysseus," said Tyr. "Both Calypso and Circe were goddesses, and both attempted to control him for their own ends. Calypso even offered him immortality. But he would not be kept from his rightful dominion. He returned nonetheless, murdering the suitors and taking back what was his."

"So he gave up two goddesses and immortality so he could rule his own kingdom," said Harper. "Yeah, real smart."

"It wasn't so he could rule his kingdom," said Hunt. "Left again."

"What do you mean?" asked Tyr.

"Odysseus loved his wife, Penelope," said Hunt. "It had nothing to do with immortality or a desire for power. He never wanted to go to Troy; he wanted to stay at home and raise his family. He spent twenty years trying to get back home.

"He wouldn't have done that for power."

"He loved her so much that he slept with every goddess he ran across in the journey," said Harper. "Not buying it."

"If a goddess possessed the power to turn you into an animal and eat you for dinner, tried to seduce you, would offend her?" asked Hunt. "People who offended gods in greek mythology didn't live very long.

"Besides, it was a different time. You can't hold people from less advanced periods of history to modern standards. And you're here."

They came out of the shafts and into a long hallway over a huge generator room with pillars of light shooting up. Harper rushed up to a console at the far end. "Alright, alright, we're here. What now?"

"There is a panel designed to reset the system," said Hunt. "I need you to activate it."

"To what end?" asked Tyr.

"Oh, I get you," said Harper. "Rhade compromised the ship, so we do a system restore. Won't this kill your AI."

"I just need you to do a temporary reset to yesterday," said Hunt. "We can retrieve her memories later."

Harper nodded. "Right, right, I'll see what I can do." He checked the console and was at a loss. He had no idea how to use this thing. Pressing a few buttons, he tried to get a feel for it. "Let's see uh, wow, this tech is really kind of weird, isn't it."

"It's state of the art Commonwealth design," said Hunt, somewhat proudly.

"Not anymore, it's not," said Harper. "I haven't seen a CPU like this in years. Not since I left Earth, and we were using majorly outdated stuff."

"Outdated?" asked Hunt. "How long have we been in the Black Hole?"

"Well, um, not to be a downer, but around a hundred years," said Harper.

"A hundred years?" asked Hunt. "Where is the Commonwealth? What happened?"

"Well, I hate to say it," said Harper, "but the war ended, and you lost. Course, the Nietzscheans didn't exactly win either. See, as soon as they took over, they fragmented and fell to bits. They've all been fighting each other for years.

"And, of course, the Magog invaded after that.

"Actually things have been sort of a shitshow. The Wayists call it the Long Night."

"This is…" Hunt fell silent for a bit and went out of contact. Harper worked on the machine for a bit, having trouble. Then Hunt came back. "Nevermind, nevermind. Alright, so who are you working for?"

"We're sort of independent, actually," said Harper. "My boss wants to sell this ship to the Drago Kazov, but we're sort of scheming to take them out with the machines."

"No one is selling my ship to anyone." snapped Harper.

"That seems a bit of moot point at this stage, Captain Hunt," said Tyr, humor in his voice. "What is taking so long Harper?"

Harper glanced up in annoyance. "Look, I'm a super genius, but I'm not familiar with this system. I've been trying to figure it out from the ground up. But I think I'm going to have to do a mental connect." And he drew a cord from the implant in his shoulder.

"Why didn't you do that before?" asked Tyr.

"It's dangerous, okay," said Harper. "If there is a hostile presence, I could get my mind fried. Hey, Hunty Boy, anything else you want me to do?"

"Opening the doors would be nice," said Hunt.

"Got it," said Harper. "Tyr, watch my back."

Then he plugged in.

Instantly his consciousness was drawn deep into the Andromeda's systems. His mind tried to rationalize it as a series of flowing boxes and texts. Walking along it, he moved through the passages as quickly as he could. As he did, he scanned through the various systems and couldn't make heads or tails of them.

Yes, they were on the surface similar to the ones' on Earth. But these ones' had been a super-advanced variety. Same principles, different layout. It had probably been lost with the fall of the Commonwealth.

"Ah, geez, this isn't working at all is it," said Harper.

Then he turned and saw a figure coming toward him. It was a shadowy figure that then took on the form of the most gorgeous women he'd ever seen. She had a gigantic pair of tits, and her smooth Asian features were beautiful. And that long hair-

Oh, wait, she was activating security systems.

"Unidentified interference detected. Activating defense mechanisms," she said.

Harper ran. He wouldn't be able to keep this up much longer; already, he could see the system getting locked down. No way was he going to be able to perform this reboot thing in time. But he might activate something else.

Activating the doors, he opened them, and then he terminated the connection. There was a blur, and then Harper was drawn out. He stepped backward, sweat on his brow as he hit the railing and slumped to a sitting position. "Okay, I can't reprogram her directly, but I do have the doors open. I'm going to need more time for anything else."

"Time is something we don't have," said Tyr, holding a detonator.

Harper looked up and saw androids approaching from either side. "Drop your weapons, and you will not be harmed."

"You are in no position to make demands of me, machine," said Tyr. Then he pushed the detonator, and there was a massive explosion behind the machines on both sides. The rear ranks were obliterated, and the front was sent falling. Tyr fell to a kneel and unleashed a flurry of shots that killed the front ones. Then he rolled to one side and firing a few shots. Some of them went an inch past Harper's face, but they all hit. Harper raised his gun and saw nothing.

"How did you do that?" asked Harper.

"I set up explosives at the entrances while you were working," said Tyr. "Best to be prepared."

"Hunt, you're free, but we're pinned down," said Tyr. "I suggest you take action."

"Thanks, I'll see what I can do," said Hunt. Then the channel was cut.

"We're not pinned down," said Harper.

"Best not to let Captain Hunt know we are still able to act," said Tyr with a smile. "Harper, can you download a systems map?"

Harper got up and began working at the machine. Now they had time. "Yeah, I think so."

"Do it. We'll have to adjust our plans," said Tyr. "Hunt probably has a manual override to the security system. If and when he uses it, we need to be able to get to the missile tubes as quickly as possible.

"It won't be long until Cuchulain arrives. When he does, we'll have a warm welcome waiting for him."

* * *

Rhade observed the cameras; hands clasped before him. Andromeda was performing very poorly. She'd killed many of the mercenaries, but Tyr and Harper had evaded them and unleashed Hunt. Meanwhile, they were rapidly running out of defense bots.

He supposed he couldn't blame her. A cold machine could never understand war like a human being. "Andromeda, why aren't they dead yet?"

"I appear to be experiencing difficulties," said Andromeda. "My conflicting loyalties are making it difficult to target my enemies. And the mercenaries we are fighting are proving quite skilled."

Ah, so Andromeda was trying to throw the fight. Weakening her own systems to ensure Hunt could reverse the process. Even as he contemplated this, the last of the security was gone.

Rhade sighed and drew up his force lance. "…Fine, I'll kill them myself.

Somehow he knew this would end in a confrontation with Dylan. From a pragmatic perspective, Rhade wanted to kill him while unarmed. But he truly hoped to face him on equal ground.

It would be… entertaining. And it was only against worthy opponents that virtues could be honed.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

Okay, so this chapter took a long time.

Basically, what happened was that I was disappointed by a lack of response. So I turned my mind to other things. Then I got a belated response and decided to continue it. But I'd gotten out of practice and was stuck for a bit.

Enjoy.


	8. Faceoff

**Chapter Eight: Faceoff**

Dylan Hunt moved through the halls as quickly as possible, trying to stay focused. The war was over, the Commonwealth had fallen. Everyone he'd known except Rhade and Dawn was dead if what they were saying was true.

He could hardly process it.

Andromeda appeared as an image, speaking. "Alert, alert, prisoner has escaped. Notifying Commander Rhade."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, Andromeda. It means a lot," said Dylan, reflecting that she was one more person he knew.

"I am merely fulfilling my programmed instructions, Captain Hunt," said Andromeda. "I am obligated to inform you that there will be severe consequences if you do not return to your cell."

"You mean the command deck?" asked Dylan.

"More suitable accommodations can be made later," said Andromeda.

Dylan got to the console and activated it. "Yeah, I think I'm going to stick with my original plan.

"Computer, program override, code 3-4-5-8-8-4, codeword Perseus."

Andromeda paused. "Control overwridden. I await your commands, Captain Hunt."

"I want you to disable all security. Then do a full diagnostic for any foreign influences on your systems," said Dylan. "In addition, I want you to move us away from the black hole. Plot a course for space outside of this one. If you see any fleets, take evasive maneuvers."

"Bear in mind, Captain, I will not be able to use the slipstream drive," said Andromeda.

"I know," said Dylan. "Have the medical nanites on Refractions of Dawn taken effect?"

"Affirmative, she is stable and recovering," said Andromeda.

"Patch me through to her," said Dylan.

The screen appeared and showed Refractions of Dawn. She looked painted. "Captain Hunt?"

"Refractions, I know you're still injured," said Dylan. "But right now, I have reason to believe we're about to get hit by a major fleet. I need you to pilot the slipstream. Can you do that?"

"Of course, Captain Hunt." said Refractions. "To what coordinates?"

"It is a valid question," said Andromeda. "We have no idea what the universe looks like at the moment. We'd be jumping blind, and without a safe harbor, my systems won't operate for long."

Dylan paused. "Well then, what do you recommend?"

"With Refraction of Dawn's help, I can send out a slipspace communication. We may find any possible Commonwealth bases," said Andromeda. "It is conceivable that the old system is still in use, or at least recognized."

"Do it," said Dylan. Then he thought of the other problem.

His best friend, Rhade.

"And what will you do?" asked Refractions.

Dylan sighed. "I've got to deal with Rhade. But first, I need a weapon."

Time to hit the armory.

The guns had stopped firing all of a sudden. The machines that Beka hadn't shot turned back and walked away. Firing after them, Beka brought up her gun, which was hot to the touch. Looking over to the far wall, she looked to where Trance was peeled up against the wall.

"You alright, Trance?" asked Beka, offering her a hand.

"Yeah, fine," said Trance, taking it. "It looks like the security systems are offline, doesn't it?"

"Yes, it does," said Beka. Then she looked to where Rev and Geretex were in cover by another door. "Get your things, we're leaving." Raising her communicator, she opened a channel. "Attention all mercenaries. Give me a status report."

Nothing for a moment.

"Oh, thank god, there's still someone else alive out here." said a man.

"For now, yeah," said Beka. "What the hell is going on out there?"

"This is team 3, we were holding out for a bit, and we've got wounded." said the man. "Still, the systems have shut down."

"Any idea why?" asked Beka.

"I don't know, maybe they short-circuited." said the man.

"That may be possible." said Rev. "These machines are truly ancient."

Beka didn't buy it, she'd done enough repairs to know that. "Anyone else?"

"Give me that," said Geretex, grabbing the communicator. "Team 1 report.

"Team 2 report.

"Team 4 report.

"Doesn't look like anyone is answering."

"Give me that," said Beka, grabbing it back. "Team 3, can you get back to the Maru Hanger Bay?"

"I think so, yeah." said the man. "We pulled up some schematics on one of the consoles like we were sent to do."

"Good," said Beka. "Send it to us, then head back there."

"Why the hanger?" asked Trance.

"You know why." snapped Beka. "I think I speak for everyone when I say this scheme has hit rock bottom.

"We should get out of here while we can."

"What are you doing?" asked Geretex.

"Oh come on, Geretex, we've just fought a neverending tide of androids," said Beka. "Most of our crew is dead, and we've got a fleet of Nietzscheans coming down here to wipe us out!"

"We just bypassed the defenses," said Geretex. "After all we've invested into this, you want to just leave?

"Do you really think Cuchulain will let us go? The Nietzschean will want to keep this secret! They'll kill us as soon as they have the ship!"

"And what's gonna stop them from doing that if we hand it over to them?" asked Beka. "I say we get on the Maru, and knock the damn thing back into the black hole. Nobody gets it, and there's nothing to hush up."

"Beka, we were not drawn to this place for no reason." said Rev. "Everything happens for a purpose. To turn back now is to deny the will of the universe."

"Yeah, well, the universe can will someone else into place." snapped Beka. "I'm fucking done.

"Where the hell is Tyr and Harper?" She hoped they weren't dead as she opened a channel. "Tyr, Harper, do you read?"

"Speaking lovely lady, we've just hit some slight turbulence in our flight-" began Harper.

"Shut up, people are dead," said Beka. "We're evacing before we all get killed. Head for the Maru."

"That would not be wise, Ms. Valentine," came Tyr's voice. "We cannot afford to return emptyhanded."

"He's right," said Geretex. "What was all this for if not a profit?"

"Okay, big guy, how are you planning to make a profit if all of us are dead?" asked Beka, not wanting to leave anyone behind.

"I am in the midst of retrieving the schematics for a Nova Bomb," said Tyr.

"...That's brilliant, Mr. Anasazi," said Geretex. "The Nova Bomb is a lost art, one of the most powerful weapons in history. If we can get that, and the schematics for the Andromeda, we can sell it to the Than. That will make us enough to pay off our debts, and we don't have to stay here any longer.

"Does this seem a decent compromise, Ms. Valentine?"

"Yeah, fine," said Beka. "Just get the damn thing and get back here before anyone else gets killed. Beka out." She cut the channel. "...Once we're off here, I say we send this miserable ship back into the black hole. I'm not giving Cuchulain it unless he pays me for it."

"Sounds fine to me," said Geretex.

"You may do so." said Rev. "However, I will still be on it."

"You've got to be kidding," said Beka. "Rev, this isn't a course in philosophy. All of us could die if we stay here."

"Death is but an illusion Beka, and the world is the means by which we explore ourselves," said Rev.

Then Beka heard a sound. "That's gunfire. Come on."

Raising her gun, she ran in the direction of it. As she did, she raised her communicator. "Team 3, what's going on?"

"He came out of nowhere and got one of us!" said the mercenary from before. "We can't outrun him, and we're pinned down!" There was a scream. "Oh god, he just got Alsin, I'm the last one!"

"We're coming to help you," said Beka.

The sound of gunfire came forward. "Forget that! Get to the Maru, I'll try to keep him occupied as long as I-" There was a scream.

Beka halted. Then she raised he communicator. "...Tyr, Tyr we've got a psycho on the loose here! Follow this channel; we need your help?"

"We are too far away to make it in time," said Tyr. "I recommend making a run for it."

"Too late for that." said a voice.

The communicator went dead.

Beka turned around and saw a calm looking man with a buzzcut. He wore the red garb of the Commonwealth and held a force pike.

"What..." said Beka.

"They're dead. All of them." said the man.

"Who... who are you?" asked Geretex, raising a gun.

"I am Gaheris Rhade, and you are on my ship." said the man.

"We were leaving anyway," said Beka.

"With schematics that do not belong to you," said Rhade. "No, you will not.

"I have a use for your vessel, the Maru. The Andromeda, at present, is in poor condition. You have two choices. You can assist me and profit from my success, or you can be forced to assist and be swept aside afterward."

"...Did you make that offer to the men you just murdered?" asked Beka, stepping back a pace. If she could pull her gun fast enough...

"Murder is killing in defiance of lawful authority. No lawful authority has hold on me," said Rhade. "And no.

"Their existence gave you more bargaining power. I need subordinates, and those that remain alive seem ideal for that role."

"Right, so we work for you and get... what exactly?" asked Trance.

"I listened to your conversations before I sprang my attack," said Rhade. "The universe has obviously changed a great deal. My power base may not exist at all.

"Judging from the state of your crew, the standard of living has decreased. You went to all the trouble of drawing in the Andromeda, my guess is that weapons technology has degraded.

"When the Andromeda is fully operational, it will be of immense power. With it, I can easily reestablish my empire. If you aid in this, you will be well rewarded. And, in the meantime, you will have access to a standard of living far higher than most vessels."

"I do not believe you," said Rev. "You are a murderer, and you have lied many times before. This is but one more lie, even if you believe otherwise."

"Fine words from a Magog," snapped Rhade. "Your first act in this world was murder. Your race were murderers from the beginning. But I am not speaking to you.

"Have you looked at the cargo hold of this ship, Ms. Valentine? Imagine how much cargo you could transport in that?

"A few shipments would be more than sufficient to make a fortune.

"I don't expect you'll remain with me the entire way, of course. In fact, I expect I'll only need you for a few months. After that, you can move on if you so desire."

"Are you seriously offering us a job after killing our entire crew?" asked Beka.

"Yes," said Rhade. "You invaded my ship with a heavily armed contingent of guards, so I activated the defense systems. If I had offered you this job when you had over a dozen heavily armed mercenaries, would you have considered it?

"No.

"You've have shot me and taken the ship for yourself."

"...No, I wouldn't," said Beka, though Geretex might have.

"Really?" asked Rhade. "Then perhaps you would have stranded me on some planet and flown off with my ship. It is of no consequence. When you come in peace, do not do so with unholstered blasters.

"At the moment, it is of no further consequence."

"...I am the official leader of this expedition if I might interject," said Geretex, moving forward. "Naturally, I'll be willing to discuss the details of such an offer."

"Rhade, I think I once told you that making contracts under duress didn't get reliable results." said a calm voice.

Rhade tensed and glanced back.

Behind him was a bear of a man with long brown hair. He held a force pike in one hand. Rhade turned to him in turn. "...You should have shot me when you had the chance, Dylan."

"Dylan?" asked Trance. "Dylan Hunt?"

"Yeah, that's me," said Dylan.

"I take it then, that Harper and Tyr were not the ones who disabled the security systems," said Rhade.

"Well, they helped a lot, but I was the guy who pushed the button," said Dylan. "Beka, is it? I suggest you step back. This doesn't involve you or your crew."

Rhade and Dylan, two legends, were standing in front of them, about to throw down. Beka considered shooting Rhade in the back but didn't like the idea. So she raised her gun. "Right, right."

"Shouldn't we be-" began Geretex.

"Hey, these are the legendary space heroes, let them settle this," said Beka.

"I agree completely," said Rev.

"Single combat, is it?" asked Rhade. "You always did have an inflated opinion of yourself."

Dylan remained silent for a moment. "...Why exactly did you do this, Rhade?"

"I believe I already explained my motives," said Rhade.

"No, you didn't," said Dylan. "You gave some spiel about how the Commonwealth was decadent and deserved to fall, but why would you care? You're a Nietzschean. Your race's entire philosophy is to always do what is best for the individual. It just so happens that an enlightened man realizes being part of society is what is best.

"You had a promising career. And even if you'd pulled this off, you wouldn't have established an empire. Without the Commonwealth as a stabilizing element, you would have been overthrown. Avoiding that kind of thing was the entire reason your race joined."

"No great thing may be achieved without risk," said Rhade. "Make your point?"

"Complex schemes were never your style, Rhade," said Dylan. "You always preferred the direct approach.

"I just don't buy that you would pull off this kind of elaborate scheme without some kind of personal grudge."

Rhade paused and finally nodded. "...You can never truly loathe someone until you know them on a personal level."

Dylan remained silent for a moment. "Well, there's always that."

And then the image of a dark-skinned supermodel appeared on the screen. "Alert, multiple Nietschean vessels have come out of subspace. They are heading toward us even now at attack speed. In the present situation, we are unlikely to outrun them."

"Cuchulain." said Geretex, voice afriad.

"...Well, it would appear this showdown will have to wait, Dylan," said Rhade. "We're about to be blown out of the sky."

This was... not good.


End file.
